


A Marriage of Equals

by copperjellyroll



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Alternate Universe - Arranged Marriage, Coming of Age, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Fake/Pretend Relationship, M/M, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-27
Updated: 2017-06-18
Packaged: 2018-11-05 10:03:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 32,670
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11011176
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/copperjellyroll/pseuds/copperjellyroll
Summary: “Mother was right. Leowasvery similar to Takumi.It came to no surprise then, that Takumi absolutelyhatedLeo. After all, he’d never particularly liked himself. ”Enemies to friends to lovers, in an arranged marriage AU.





	1. Where twilight fades, two strangers await

From the start, the circumstances that surrounded the marriage were bizarre.  

There must have been some accident of fate, or some trick in time. Takumi himself still didn't understand how it was possible that, _out of all conceivable outcomes_ , _this_ was the route the universe decided to take.

The news flooded Castle Shirasagi like the unstoppable tide. King Garon of Nohr was dead.

Nobody knew who killed him, or if he was assassinated at all. Some speculated it was a member of the Nohrian court, hungry for power. Others suggested that activities by an internal vigilante group or an attack by the peasantry was more likely, given Garon’s increasingly tyrannical reign. Saizo the Fifth, who managed the Hoshidian spy network, reported that the Nohrians appeared just as flustered by the sudden news. When asked for his opinion, he commented that it was most likely either a dormant illness which overcame the late king, or an experiment with magic gone wrong.

For a while nobody in the castle seemed to know what to think, what to feel. Garon had been detested of course, but given Nohr-Hoshido relations, who knew if his successor wouldn’t be far worse? If anything, the oppressive uncertainty of what was to come pushed the mood towards that of a vague wariness instead of outright celebration.

The world held its breath as King Xander rose to the throne.

Then Cheve rebelled. And all of a sudden, Takumi found himself frantically organizing patrols on Hoshidan borders as Ryoma and Mikoto monitored the diplomatic situation overseas.

Yet the skirmish was brought to a close as swiftly as it began, their scouts arriving with news that the rebellion had been settled. Not _put down_ , settled.

Instead of sending a military force to quell the rebellion, the newly appointed Nohrian king had ordered a diplomatic party lead by _Prince Corrin_ , of all people. After a brief confrontation, the former Hoshidan Prince had been able to convince the rebels to reconcile their differences with words rather than steel.

Information was scarce after that, their scouts only able to provide the most basic outline of the agreements. Cheve would remain a territory of Nohr, but King Xander had agreed to overhaul some of King Garon’s more oppressive policies in compromise. The new king had apparently announced that he wished to maintain peace within his reign, in sharp contrast to his father’s renowned conquests. His main objectives as ruler would be to improve the living conditions of the peasantry and to establish more amicable relationships among governing parties.

And not just within Nohr. A few weeks into his reign, the new King sent a courier expressing his wish to extend friendships to Hoshido as well.

This was met with about as much enthusiasm as could be found at a funeral, and with no less skepticism than could be expected of a nation seeing bait within the jaws of a trap. However, despite Takumi’s (and most everyone else’s) best efforts to convince her otherwise, Mikoto tentatively agreed to hear King Xander out.

The talks began slowly, though royal messengers instead of in person. As months passed, small changes began to take place as well: adjustments to trade tariffs, the increased export of certain Hoshidan goods. The entire castle was on edge as Hoshido took the first steps out of isolationism in almost a century, though the tension was blunted by their scouts’ continued reports that the King of Nohr’s efforts seemed genuine.

Yet, as negotiations progressed in complexity, so did Hoshido’s need to contact their neighbors outside of long winded diplomatic letters. And while everyone was learning to adapt to lessened enmity to Nohr, nothing could stop the explosion of horror when Queen Mikoto declared that she would like to meet this new king in person, the palace still reeling from what had happened to King Sumeragi just years prior.

In the end there was a compromise, wherein both Ryoma and Hinoka were part of the party that escorted Mikoto to the meeting spot, somewhere on the borders of Nohr (but notably, not Cheve). Takumi too, demanded that he be allowed to accompany them, only to be refused and relegated to house sitting instead.

So for almost a week, Takumi alternated between feeling left behind and wrapping his mind around the crushing responsibility that _if_ something were to happen to the group, he would be the next King of Hoshido.

When everyone returned unscathed, the palace heaved a collective sigh of relief, and Takumi more or less forgot how upset he was in their absence, so glad he was to have them back.

Perhaps it was that palpable relief that made Takumi oblivious to the tension in the air as he was ushered into a meeting immediately upon the group’s return. But as Yukimura started the briefing, even Takumi started to notice something was afoot.

Only their immediate family and retainers had been invited to this gathering. And it could be no coincidence that Ryoma and Hinoka hadn’t once met his eyes since they’d reunited, and his mother, unreadable in her silence.

He pondered what this meant, _what had happened in Nohr?_ , and for most of the meeting only kept Yukimura’s monologue in his peripheral awareness until-

“... to seal the deal .. we have arranged Prince Takumi’s marriage to King Xander’s sister, Princess Camilla of Nohr.”

And suddenly Takumi felt his heart stop, as a chill descended into his veins and set frost to his blood.  He heard the words but didn’t register them, because _what did that mean_ , and _how did this happen_ , until all at once the ice is replaced by fire with the realization that his family had been _feeling guilty_ this whole time and Takumi saw the world _spin_ as he stood up.

He was shouting something intelligible, about _how could they_ and _trusting these Nohrian scum_...

Hinoka was finally looking at him now, something like shame and concern on her face that did nothing but add fuel to his fire. Ryoma remained stoic and expressionless but his lips were pressed into a firm line, and if that indicated _disapproval_ then well, Ryoma was a fool was expecting any other reaction, for the impeccable judgement of the sun blessed commander had never been his brother’s boon to share.

It was only turning to look at his mother - her eyes downcast, head bowed - that suddenly jolted Takumi out of his rage and back to the present, to the small, tranquil conference room amongst his most cherished friends and family. Where he stood alone breathlessly yelling obscenities, in a place where his anger was so inappropriate and utterly childish.

He stumbled back to his knees, contrite and overwhelmed, and stuttered out something that resembled an apology, heat flooding his face in embarrassment.

But Mikoto shook her head. She held his gaze, making the sadness in her eyes all the more prominent, “Please, do not apologize. You have every right to be upset, my son.”

Then, with the patience of both a queen and mother, Mikoto explained that the Nohrians were starving. She had seen their poisoned lands with her own eyes, and knew it would be wrong to keep Hoshido’s bountiful harvest to themselves while their neighbors had to choose between famine and war. In return for Hoshido’s agricultural bounty and cooperation, King Xander had promised to atone for the transgressions that occurred under his father’s reign. Namely, they would return Prince Corrin in exchange for Princess Azura, and cease all war related sorcery, such as that involved in the production of Faceless.

The marriage had been suggested as something familiar to Nohrians and Hoshidans alike, a ritual that could unite their royal families and cement their promise as partners walking into a new era. A time where they would build ports instead of fortresses, train mounts for transportation instead of battle, and produce crops instead of swords. Their people could rest safe, knowing they were free of the conflict that had cost both kingdoms far too many innocent lives.

However the negotiations were ruthless and their choices limited. The Hosidians were unwilling to give away one of their daughters to what was perceived to be a longstanding enemy, and were even less likely to accept a Nohrian queen and a half Nohrian successor. Their royal family being what it was, there was only ever one choice.

“I regret that I must ask this of you.” Mikoto looked up then, and gave Takumi one last pleading glance, “But please Takumi, for Hoshido’s sake, give the offer some consideration?”

Phrased that way, it almost sounded as if refusal was an option. As if he could simply _say 'no’_ and not face the disgrace of abandoning his duty to queen and country.

But as quickly as that thought came, Takumi squashed it down as something unworthy of being presented before Mikoto.

For his mother had always been such a gentle person, someone filled with so much compassion and kindness that she could even find it within in her heart to love failures like Takumi. And looking into her sad eyes, he knew that he couldn’t betray the expectations of the one person who had always believed in him.

 

* * *

 

“Takumi, wait!”

Hinoka grabbed his wrist as he left the room. Pulling him aside, she offered him words of apology and encouragement. But if anything, they only made him feel worse. He didn’t need her pity, and whatever nonsense she told him about honor and duty, he could take no pride in his sacrifice. He brushed her aside, coldly telling her that he was getting too old to be babied.

He encountered Sakura soon after, and as if sensing his bad mood she mentioned nothing of the arrangement. Instead, she asked if he’d like to accompany her to check out a newly opened sweets shop.

“Go with Hana. I’m busy.”

He hadn’t meant to sound spiteful, but he did a poor job of concealing his impatience, and regretted it almost immediately when he watched Sakura flinch in response.

But she stood her ground, and lingered silently as if unwilling to leave him alone. Only then did he realize that Sakura hadn’t been interested in getting sweets at all.

If he was less upset, perhaps he would have welcomed the excuse to get away from the castle. But as it was, he was in no mood to be consoled, even in Sakura’s gentle, indirect fashion.

He moved to leave, only to be stopped by Sakura’s hand on his sleeve.

There was a hesitant pause. Then, as if steeling her resolve, she reached out to wrap her arms around him, and squeezed with a strength he didn’t know her to possess.

“I-I hope you’ll be able to f-find happiness, brother. It c-could turn out better than you think!”

The thought made Takumi’s throat tighten with unshed tears, even as he wanted to lash out, to say something hurtful in the face of her blind optimism. But she was his baby sister. He could never bring himself to hurt Sakura.

“I-I guess so.”

 

* * *

 

It wasn’t just his siblings. Oboro and Hinata, while reliably cheerful, seemed even more attentive to his moods than usual. Reina invited him for tea and told him some story about an apron that he didn’t understand. Kaze said no words, but gave him a solemn, acknowledging nod when their eyes met. His mother made them miso soup at dinnertime for _three days straight_. Orochi followed him in the halls and regaled him with all sorts of cryptic fortunes, from speculations on the longevity of his marriage to predictions on his future wife’s bosom size. Azama found him in the library, and gave him a seedy novel on fertility rituals.

 _That_ turned out to be the straw that broke the water buffalo’s back, and Takumi felt his face flush scarlet as he realized what the book contained. He promptly discarded it in a wastebin far far _far_ away from his living quarters.

He rushed back to his room, trying to go somewhere he could just _find some peace_ , only to pass by Ryoma in the halls, only to realize that his brother was giving him _the look_.

Ryoma nodded at him in acknowledgement, and as if to confirm his fears he said, “Takumi, I have to attend a meeting now, but I would like to speak with you later.”

Takumi immediately made plans to spend _the rest of his week_ in the hunting grounds.

Yet this turned into a futile effort when he found his regular route through the forest barren of game and all his traps empty of prey. With a unsurprised sigh, he found Setsuna at the end of his trek, hopelessly tangled in a net beside a river.

With much trepidation, he untied her and escorted her back to the castle, lest risk the chance that his sister lose her airheaded retainer forever.

Not two minutes after he’d returned to his room, Ryoma opened his door, greeting him with, “I am proud of you, brother.”

Takumi pinched the bridge of his nose and was in the mind to turn his brother away right then and there, propriety be damned.

As if sensing this, Ryoma changed tact quite quickly, “I will keep this brief. I approach you with a word of warning.”

The seriousness in his voice gave Takumi pause, and he put down the book he had just started reading to turn to Ryoma, who settled into a cushion beside him.

“You must think that everybody approves of this arrangement.”

Takumi gave him a blank stare, because of course they did. His personal opinion excluded of course.

Ryoma shook his head, “It is not quite that simple, brother. There are many lords who oppose mother’s decision to make peace with Nohr.”

“But that’s exactly the reason I’m getting married off, isn’t it?” Takumi interjected, “So that I can set an example for them by living alongside the Nohrian princess?”

“Correct. But that situation lends itself to another problem.” Ryoma explained, “Those that celebrate peace greatly underestimate our former enemies. In that regard, I believe it a stroke of luck that you were the one selected for this role.”

“ _Really_.”

Takumi’s voice came out sarcastic and cutting, but Ryoma was undeterred in his response.

“Yes.”

“Our mother is a loving, compassionate individual and a charismatic queen. However, her blind trust in others causes her to overlook numerous dangers.” Ryoma’s face darkened at that statement, “Her willingness to leave Hoshido’s barrier is testament to that fact. It is her fortune that lightning did not strike the same tree twice.”

“Hinoka, while a warrior in her own right, also shares that disposition. She will stubbornly fight any enemy who opposes her but does not think to doubt any who come under her wing. And Sakura, while wise beyond her years, is still young when it comes to the evils in this world.”

Ryoma looked Takumi square in the eye. “You do not share their naivete.”

Takumi furrowed his brows. Ryoma was decidedly speaking around the subject. What did this have anything to do with--

And then it came to him. Ryoma was telling him that their family was too trusting, be it toward strangers, foreigners, or …. potential spouses.

“You think this a plot for the Nohrians to send an assassin into our midst.” He stated, breathless with realization. _Of course._ How had that not occurred to him before?

Ryoma nodded, looking impressed at how quickly Takumi caught his drift, “It could be. We will make sure to heighten security around the castle, but I also trust you to exercise your best judgement when it comes to your wife.”

Takumi opened his mouth, and then closed it.

Because the way Ryoma was speaking… It didn’t _sound_ as if he considered Takumi the most dispensable one in their family

When Ryoma first said that it was _a stroke of luck_ that Takumi was chosen, he had thought that his older brother meant … better him than Hinoka or Sakura or you know, someone who _actually mattered_. Or maybe his brother thought of this as an advantageous way to paw him off. Takumi’s love life for an international alliance.

Or perhaps, he simply foresaw that Takumi would never be able to find someone that would love him on his own merits.

After all, Takumi had never been like his other siblings, with all their strength and kindness and wisdom. He’d never known where he stood in their household, where he stood in their world.

He was just the hot tempered younger brother: unlikeable in the court, useless on the battlefield, and otherwise irredeemably flawed in all the ways that mattered.

But now … _‘I also trust you to exercise your best judgement..’_

And .. ‘ _You do not share their naivete.’_

Was Ryoma really saying what Takumi thought he was saying?

That, against all odds, his prickly personality and persistent guardedness could make him _suited_ to do something? Despite himself, Takumi felt Ryoma’s words fill him with the first inklings of warmth he’d felt in days.

“You can count on me, brother.”

 

* * *

 

Takumi continued to bounce Ryoma’s words in his head throughout the week. They dissipated the growling anger in his chest until he’s left with a sort of contemplative melancholy.

As if buoyed by the emotion, he found himself wandering toward the palace gardens. And before he knew it, be realized he was no longer alone.

_“You are the oceans grey waves…”_

Takumi blinked. He shouldn’t be surprised that she would be here, and yet he was.

She was like a mirage, disappearing when he thought to look for her and yet appearing when he least expected it.

He walked down the stone paths of the gardens until he saw where Azura rested, alone amongst the well groomed grasses beside the lake. She shifted as he approached, as if able to sense his presence despite his soundless footsteps.

It seemed like an invitation, so he joined her.

They sat together in a sort of peaceful companionship, and he watched the water rise and fall along the shore as he listened to her song.

Beautiful was too weak an adjective to describe her singing. It was as if the wind itself had crafted her voice, the way it reminded Takumi of the ornamental chimes that decorated storefronts, tangling and jingling to welcome visitors.

Yet her tune was no passing stranger, but a tapestry of notes, carefully woven to whisper of ancient kingdoms and forgiving seas. The words caressed his thoughts in long notes and thrilling vibratos that echoed throughout the gardens, in a manner that suited opera houses and theater sets, far too grand for the small lake for which she sang.

And yet it felt like Takumi was intruding, as if her words were never meant to be heard by an audience of mortal men.

Then with one final crescendo, the song came to a close.

It left just the two of them, their silence only accompanied by the whistle of the reeds and the soft exhale of waves crashing upon stone.

There was something to be said there. Questions to be asked, compliments to be paid. But such small talk seemed cheap after listening to such a heartfelt display.

So he said nothing of the sort, and stayed silent until the words seemed to piece themselves together of their own accord.

“This worked well for you.” He said, and for once, there was no bitterness. It was as if he were too tired to feel anger anymore, “You can finally go home now.”

“I suppose that is true.” Azura answered.

He realized that the thought filled him with sadness. They never truly developed a strong bond, with him too irritable and her too aloof, yet for a while she had been his sister. A cherished part of the family Mikoto had created. He would still miss her when she left.

Azura gave a sad sigh, “But… After all these years, it feels as though Hoshido has become my home. It will be difficult, leaving it all.”

Oh.

It was only then that Takumi remembered. It was one of the few conversations they did have, years and years ago when they were still small. She had told him that Nohr was a cruel place, and even as princess, she wasn’t spared much kindness. She was probably no happier than him that these events had come to pass.

Look at the two of them. Mourning the past, lamenting the future. Bargaining chips in a world indifferent to their pitiful feelings.

But at the same time, it was humbling to know that Azura would be alone in Nohr while he would remain here with Ryoma, Sakura, and Hinoka. His friends. His retainers. His mother.

His cherished family, who all came together to comfort him even when he hadn’t the patience to listen.

And that too was nice, how they were suddenly paying more attention to him. It reminded him absurdly of the daydreams he had when he was younger, where he would get kidnapped and they would have to fight to get him back. The idea that it would take something disastrous for them to show that they cared.

And with a bit of shameful glee, he accepted it. He couldn't remember the last time they all fretted over him as one. Where they were so openly affectionate and loving. Lavishing their attentions on him and him alone.

He still wasn’t completely happy about it.

But… He supposed that as long as he had his beloved family at his side, he could learn to grow into his role as a leader and a prince.

As if in agreement, Azura started to sing once more.

It was the same song as before, but this time it carried with it a lilting undertone that spoke of both delicate hope and tender care, a thrilling tune that complimented the song in a fresh and unexpected way. And there was some peace to be found there, as he let the melody wash over him.

_“Sing with me a song of courage and trust…”_

 

* * *

 

Something went wrong. As it always, inevitably did.

Takumi remembered more of the harried brown strands of hair that slipped out of the shinobi’s hood than the words he uttered, when they found out that Princess Camilla of Nohr seemed to have her own plans for life, and that marrying into Hoshidan royalty wasn’t one of them.

And it wasn’t just that she ran away, but that she ran away with _Corrin_.

They had left a note apparently, that they were in love and wouldn’t let anything get between them.

And Takumi was speechless, suddenly overcome with the despair that he’s only _just_ come to peace with his fate, only to have the world change its mind and drag it out from under him. Ryoma’s assurances haunted him now. He had just lost an opportunity for him to prove himself.

Was he truly so detestable that a foreign Princess would _forfeit her claim to the throne_ just to avoid marriage with him?

But his thoughts were barely audible over the clamor that wracked the throne hall. The lords and ladies are in a state of barely restrained panic, as if echoing his internal strife.

What were they going to do now? What was _he_ going to do now?

“I can’t believe this!” Hinoka is the first to speak above the chaos, her hair framing her face, alight like fire. Her indignation seemed to rally the room. For a moment Takumi’s filled with a feeling akin to pride, knowing that Hinoka would fight so adamantly on his behalf.

Then she continued with, “What do we do about Corrin?”

Wait. _What?_

And it was as if a dam broke, as everyone’s questions started pouring in all at once.

“Where is he now?”

“Are we positive that he is missing?”

“What did they do to him?”

“How can we be sure he left willingly?”

And then with one swift motion, Ryoma called for quiet, and started to organize the room for a response. He mobilized a group to draft a the response to send to Nohr, then instructed Saizo and Kagero start handing out scouting missions, and Takumi vaguely noticed that Kaze was being tasked with tracking down Corrin herself.

“Wait.. what .. about the marriage?” He stuttered out, confused and numb.

“Takumi, they’ve taken your brother.” Ryoma turned to him in between shouting orders to his retainers, “And you concern yourself over a marriage you didn’t even want?”

Takumi’s mouth went dry.

His brother was completely right, and yet it felt like a betrayal.

And there was no time for the hurt to wear off, because some noble had also overheard their exchange and blurted out, “You don’t think, because Lord Corrin is technically the true second prince of Hoshido, that the Nohrians have decided to fulfill their promise this way, do you?”

Takumi heard his sharp intake of breath.

And _by the Dawn Dragon itself_ , something about the way the statement was phrased made Takumi realize he was getting _replaced by a brother he had never even met_ and all he sees is red, as he’s rising to his feet, yelling about foolish it was to consider Nohr an ally, when they had just proven they would betray them so easily.

He vaguely registered that someone’s calling out to him, telling him to _calm down_. But he ignored it and walked away, slamming the door as he left. He stormed through the halls, simmering with anger.

He cursed the Nohrians,

He cursed Corrin.

And cursed his siblings, just a little.

And yet, he knew that he wasn’t angry at the Nohrians, at Corrin, or at his siblings at all. After all, they had done nothing wrong.

It was just him.

Gods. He had always been so unlovable and utterly selfish. How had he managed to let himself be convinced otherwise?

 

* * *

 

Not a week later, a Nohrian messenger arrived. With him, a letter that expressed King Xander’s most sincere apologies for the behavior of their runaway royalty, and his assurance that their actions did not reflect on Nohrian values.

He acknowledged the Hoshidans’ fears regarding Prince Corrin, he promised Nohr’s aid in Hoshido’s mission to locate him, if for nothing than in order to ensure the Prince’s safety.

However, he hoped that this setback would not deter the two countries from seeking peace. If Hoshido was willing, Nohr wished to proceed with the arranged marriage, only now offering their first prince in Princess Camilla’s stead.

And it was as if the room bursted with incredulity and shock, at the sheer nerve of the Nohrians to suggest that a mere _replacement_ was adequate to atone for the mistake they had made. There were accusations of foul play and threats to alter trade agreements, until the assembled feudal lords were quieted by Mikoto’s call for order.

“Please do not get distracted. We must first address the task at hand.”

Ryoma nodded, “What I most fear is that they orchestrated this accident, as a ploy to strongarm us into giving them one of our daughters.”

“Indeed.”

It was a serious question to trust or not to trust them at this point, and only then did Takumi realize how heavily the Nohr-Hoshido peace treaty had been banking on the trade for Corrin. Takumi’s role had been an afterthought all along.

And he was going to be replaced now. He turned to look at Hinoka sitting silently to one side, her face grim but determined. And it was unsurprising, really. She had always been more than willing to bear her family’s burdens.

“Muko-iri then.” She suggested.

It was a sensible, if unconventional solution, Muko-iri being the exception, not the norm for almost a century now.

But the feudal lords didn’t agree. They started to argue amongst themselves. How they would lose face, seeing their leaders bowing their heads so easily to Nohrian demands.

And of course they’re worried about their lack of personal gain and not how _they could be sending Hinoka to Nohr to die._

And then they started shouting out suggestions, ways to circumvent the Nohrian terms, each one more absurd than the next until someone commented that looking at the royal family objectively, Sakura would be the most disposable and would be the prime candidate to hand over to Nohr.

 _That_ comment sent the room to the brink of chaos, and Hinoka in particular seemed seconds away from drawing her naginata. Even the ever composed Ryoma seemed to be gritting his teeth, even as Queen Mikoto signaled for silence once again, bringing a temporary end to the infighting.

The room fell into a disgruntled quiet, the kind that invited confrontation. The calm before the storm - as if one outburst could start the whole argument anew  

So it was surprising when Yukimura spoke up, a calm voice over the din. “If I may be so bold… I have another suggestion.”

“Lords and Ladies,” Yukimura turned to the assembly, “If Muko-iri is unacceptable in your eyes, I see only one solution. As we would be breaching tradition already, why not extend our limits, to strike a deal that benefits us?

“What do you mean to say?” Ryoma demanded.

There’s a calculated gleam in the light reflected off the advisor’s round spectacles, “Nohr removed their proffered bride, and wish to replace her. Nohr expects us to adjust our end of the bargain, but I say we surprise them, by remaining steadfast in our decision.”

“I am of course speaking then, that Lord Takumi take the second prince of Nohr as a prince consort.”

The proclamation was met with mortified gasps and indignant cries from those assembled, and it was like they had stolen all the air from the room as Takumi found himself unable to breathe. 

Was that even possible?

Yukimura seemed to read his thoughts, “There have been exceptions made in the past, where two nations did not have heirs of opposite genders that such a union has been made for the sake of peace.” After a pause, and a reluctant glance toward the royal family, he added, “Strictly speaking, to form an alliance, this would be actually be a preferable outcome.”

“Not only do Nohr learn that we unyielding in the face of their machinations, we simultaneously foil any plot they could be hatching.”

“Furthermore, since there would be no expectation of children, it would allow milord to later choose a concubine of his choice. The issue of half Nohrian heirs could be avoided.”

The rich feudal lords quiet at that. Takumi presumed it was because they saw it as a chance for their daughters to marry into royalty.

Looking to his side, he found that his siblings too, seemed to be convinced. Unsurprising, given that Ryoma had already expressed how he preferred Takumi for the role, and Hinoka seemed to be placated by the idea that he could later choose his real bride.

His eyes wander the room, at the lords and ladies looking at him expectedly, and stop when the land on his mother. Mikoto was returning his gaze, face unreadable and waiting for his decision.

He was supposed to accept, wasn’t he? It was a brilliant idea. They solved the original problem, and now his siblings could rest safe knowing that Takumi could someday find and marry the person he loved without consequence. His family was happy, they no longer needed to feel guilty for his sake, or comfort him anymore.

Hollowly, he motioned to the court his acceptance of the offer.

 

* * *

 

He couldn’t sleep that night.

He thought of their messenger, delivering Hoshido’s terms to the Nohrian court. Would they react with surprise? Disgust? What would they think of Hoshido’s demands, of Hoshidan politics? Would they accept the offer? Reject it?

Did Takumi _want_ them to do?

His emotions washed through him like a turbulent tide, a puzzle, intricate and unyielding. Takumi found that he couldn’t give word to the discontent bubbling within him.

He wished it were simple.

It would be easier, if he was upset about something _proper_ , like, what would people think of him, once they realized he had a man as a consort. Or maybe he should be offended that the Nohrian princess ran away to elope with his older brother. Or maybe, upset that he’d never been given a choice before signing his life away, to spend the rest of his days as a political puppet.

But that wasn’t true was it?

Both times, he _had_ been given a choice. Nobody had forced him to do anything.

And that made it all the worse.

It was stupid to feel upset now. After all he had found peace with his fate before. It was not as though the mission Ryoma gave him had changed, And really, they were all Nohrians, enemies and strangers, what was the difference if one was substituted for another?

But last time his siblings had rushed to his aid, and Takumi selfishly basked in their attentions.

And now? The only thing he’s received recently was an odd jar of hand lotion from Azama. Knowing the fatuous priest, it was probably some sort of sick joke that Takumi didn’t understand.

And here he was, stuck in a discontent of his own making, with the phantom loss of being unimportant once again. He had thought he outgrew his attention seeking behaviors but here they were, rearing their ugly heads.

He just wanted their approval. To be for once _good enough_ in their eyes.

And now he was. He had risen to the occasion with duty called, and knowing that, he should have no reason to be upset.

When morning came, they received word that the Nohrians accepted their proposal. A Prince for a Prince. A marriage of equals to unite their two countries.

Takumi moved through the motions of his daily routine robotically, and not even Hinata’s offers to spar, or Oboro’s unsavory epithets about the nature of Nohrians were able to cheer him up.

 

* * *

 

The nuptials were conducted on a sunny day in early spring, a week after the small Nohrian envoy had reached the capital.

Takumi learned the name of the man he was about to marry - Leo. A fierce name, taken from a feline indigenous to the long grasses of the Earth Tribe plains. Nohr considered it the king of all beasts.

Of Prince Leo, he knew little else, avoiding the guest areas of the castle with a dogged determination of someone in denial of the inevitable.

So it is only as the King of Nohr lead him up the path to the shrine that he first lays eyes upon Prince Leo. He’s blond, with a sharp jawline and a small mouth, and with eyes assessing Takumi the same way Takumi was assessing him. He's clad in a layered, Nohrian affair - black on black on black, that apparently passed for a wedding garb across the chasm. Its tight fit emphasized the man’s slim waist and long legs as he walked.

Takumi’s shifted in his hakama, haori loose on his shoulders with the Hoshidan crest bared proudly.

He had never thought of marriage much, but in the recesses of his mind, he had always imagined that his bride would be dignified and elegant, dressed modestly in a pure white Shiromuku. She would be sweet and wonderful and they would be happy for the rest of their days.

Instead Takumi was here, analyzing how Prince Leo’s neatly cropped hair made him look nothing like royalty. As he settled in across from Takumi, the archer narrowed his eyes in disdain as he realized the other man was taller than he was.

It was a petty thing to get upset about, and really, Takumi knew logically that he wasn’t upset about any one specific thing. But it was … disappointing, the difference between what he was supposed to want and what he actually wanted, what he expected and what he received in life.

Takumi took a deep breath, and straightened himself up a little bit more as the ritual purification began. Even then, he realized with mild consternation that the top of his head only reached just below the blonde’s chin.

Both princes said their vows.

They passed the cups of sakazuki around.

They each offered a tree branch to the shrine of the Dawn Dragon.

Then, as a nod to Nohrian tradition, there was an exchange of wedding rings. A symbol of exclusivity and everlasting love and faith.

Though, how typical of Nohrians to think love could be symbolized as something as inanimate and restrictive as metal band. And yet, for this marriage, there was something fitting about it. Traditional Hoshidan cloth woven in patterns of white feathers and ruby crests, the dance and flight of mating cranes, envoked a sense of happiness. Meanwhile, this was a visible shackle in a loveless union.

Ceremony concluded, he walked alongside his partner out of the shrine and towards Shirasagi center.

It was springtime, and Shirasagi’s renowned sakura trees were in full bloom. They made for a beautiful sight: flowers decorating elegant branches, petals dancing in the wind, and a soft pink down coating the street, all whispering of delicate hope and new love.

Takumi took in the sight, and didn’t know what to make of the fact he already disliked the man he was bound to spend the rest of his life with.

 

* * *

 

The hiroen was relatively small: consisting of Takumi and Prince Leo’s immediate family, their retainers, and a selection of the more influential Hoshidian nobles, all gathered around a single long table to share a meal. Conversation is kept light throughout the evening even though complicated discussions regarding the future of Hoshido and Nohr were likely to take place in the coming days.

And Prince Leo seemed to be taking everything well - a little bit too well actually. Unlike his other two siblings, who sat in a crude cross-legged position at the low table, Prince Leo has positioned himself into a disciplined seiza with ease. His expression was carefully neutral, a mask of porcelain. No. Perhaps Nohrian marble.

Takumi sat down beside him, and the ceremony continued, speeches were made, first by his mother, then the Nohrian king, blessing their union, and the hope of peace between the two countries to come.

Everybody's attentions were on the speakers, so Takumi allowed his mind to wander. How was he to approach this stranger sitting next to him? Prince Leo was unreadable in his silence, and Takumi couldn’t quite come up with an answer.

The speeches eventually came to a close, and there was a scuffle of servants and seafood as the feast began.

It was traditional banquet fair, but Takumi hesitated as he looked at the dishes of poached fish and sauteed tofu, his own porcelain plate framed by a set of ivory chopsticks.

 _Nohrian marble_ , he thought once more, and it struck him that this wasn’t a universal arrangement. Nohrians probably wouldn’t know much of Hoshidan etiquette - the correct way to eat or dip certain foods, or even how to use chopsticks. At least, he was fairly sure that Nohrians used pointed metal utensils to spear their foods. They had managed to weaponize even the art of fine dining.

But this was an opportunity now. If their nations were to seek peace, then of course there must be a cultural understanding. Takumi turned to his spouse, and gestured discreetly at the chopsticks next to Prince Leo’s plate.

In a low whisper, he asked, “Hey, do you need help with those? I could show you.”

Prince Leo stared at him. Then, raising one perfectly manicured eyebrow, he picked up the ivory chopsticks next to his plate and scooped up a small portion of rice, handling the twin sticks with a grace as if he were born and raised in Hoshido.

Takumi’s cheeks burned with embarrassment and he withdrew back into to himself, gritting his teeth.

Turning to the rest of the table, he realized with no small amount of relief that nobody seemed to notice the exchange.

But the relief quickly faded, as he realized that they weren’t paying attention to him at all.

There’s an awkward air hangs over everyone as they eat. Seemingly uncomfortable with _Azura’s_ presence, of all things.

Upstaged at his own wedding. How wonderful.

The younger Nohrian girl with pigtails seemed to be unable to read the mood, or perhaps actively ignoring it, “You’re Azura right?” She asked, tugging at Azura’s kimono, “Wow! You’re so pretty!”

Azura’s eyes wrinkle in a small melancholic smile, “And you are Second Princess Elise. I am so glad to finally be able to meet you.”

“First Princess actually,” Takumi corrected acerbically, unable to contain his resentment anymore.

He felt something hit him under the table, but when he looked up, Prince Leo was sipping his tea with an air of affected nonchalance. Takumi disregarded whatever that was supposed to mean.

Princess Elise was unaffected by his tone, “But I’m not,” She said, matter of factly, “Azura is the First Princess.”

Azura can’t hide the surprise from gracing her face, before the sadness returned, “I’m afraid Takumi is correct, Princess Elise. As I will not be going back, I am a Princess of Hoshido now.”

“Well of course,” Takumi can’t keep himself from saying, “She _hated_ Nohr.”

Takumi watched the words sink in, the little blonde girl’s face crumple with sadness and disbelief. Only then did he notice that the room’s tension was multiplied hundredfold as everyone heard his words. Ryoma’s mouth is in a tight line of disapproval and even Mikoto has paused her light conversation with the King of Nohr to look at him.

The Nohrian prince at his side glared at him, before giving his sleeve a single, pointed tug.

“Prince Takumi. May I have a word?”

The words were perfectly polite if a bit cold. Yet, Takumi felt a wave of apprehension hit him, as if he had been slapped.

Takumi reluctantly nodded, and they left the dining room. A corridor and a couple of turns through the east wing, they enter a vacant room and Takumi has barely been able to form a coherent thought when the sliding door clicked shut behind them and he’s faced with Prince Leo, eyes narrowed with barely repressed rage.

“You _realize_.” He drawled, “We are _supposed_ to be setting an example for our kingdoms’ peace treaty.”

And of course, Prince Leo has the nerve to be _condescending_ , and Takumi found himself starting to get angry, “Well of course.”

“Then why,” Leo continued, enunciating every word slowly, “are you trying to start a war over dinner?”

 _Why?_ “Do to expect me to be _happy_ , signing my life away to a Nohrian?”

Prince Leo snorted. “That is beside the point. Whatever you think of this arrangement, you agreed to it. You only shame Hoshido by acting out now.”

Takumi was livid. Who was this _foreigner_ to lecture him on shame and honor and duty?

“Don’t lie and tell me you _wanted_ to be married into Hoshidan royalty.”

Prince Leo’s eyes narrowed, the only sign that he was seething under his cold exterior “I thought an arranged marriage a practical, if archaic, practice. In fact, I had pushed for it, as it is one of the most reliable methods to ensure a lasting alliance between our countries.”

 _What._ Takumi regarded him with disbelief, “ _You_ arranged this?”

Prince Leo didn’t answer. And that was an answer all in it of itself.

“I wish you would not allow you emotions to cloud your judgement of the matter.” Leo deflected.

“ _Me?_ Why am I being blamed for being _emotional,_ when _you’re_ trying your best to bait me!”

“You’re misinterpreting me. I wish nothing more than for us to get along.”

 _Like hell._ “How am I supposed to get along with you, when you’re a pompous asshole?!?”

“Keep your voice down.” Leo gritted out, and only then did Takumi notice that he was almost shouting, and that words had a tendency to carry through the thin wooden walls of Shirasagi.

“You could accept my help you know.” Takumi hissed, his voice lower in volume but not in venom,

Leo scoffed, “I don’t _need_ your help. As you can see, I’ve been doing just fine on my own.”

“Well then, don’t expect my help ever again.”

And with that, he walked past the blonde, and navigated his way back to the dining hall.

The atmosphere was surprisingly friendly as he made his way around the table, and his family’s smiles only break when he moved to sit down.

Then Takumi realized that everyone’s eyes were on him. More importantly, on the fact that he had returned alone.

A chill washed over him.

 _What_ was he _doing?_

Everyone was expecting him to get along with Prince Leo. _An example for their kingdoms’ peace treaty,_ as Leo had so put it. And it had been a mistake, to turn his heel and stomp out of their argument alone.

Or not so alone, as suddenly, a hand clasped his shoulder, and he almost jumped as Leo appeared behind him, a smile painted on his face as if nothing had happened between them.

“Sorry for the delay.”

And Leo’s already realized this, of course he has. He’s embraced the expectations of him and has been nothing but cordial and polite in public. Meanwhile, Takumi has spent him time caught up in various stages of a temper tantrum.

And Takumi was filled with a bitter sort of jealousy, knowing that Leo was better younger brother, _a better prince_ , that he would ever be.

They remain civil for the remainder of the dinner and while receiving envelopes of gifts from attendees. The mood is buoyed, surprisingly, by the youngest princesses Sakura and Elise, who seemed to be on their way to becoming fast friends.

Late into the evening, as attendees started to depart one by one, there’s finally a lull in conversation and Takumi seized it like a dying man in search of oxygen. He hurriedly excused himself from the table with a half apology and a thanks to both their families, and Leo had frowned, but seemed to humor his request.

They are excused, and soon it was just him and the Nohrian Prince, as they walked to their new shared room.

They’ve just exited the east wing when Takumi became aware of the footsteps tailing them.

“Ah… If I may borrow a moment?”

It was his mother. It seemed she had left the banquet to spare them a few last words.

Takumi stood at attention while Prince Leo bowed.  “Your Majesty.”

She shook her head fondly, “No, no, please, there is no need for that. We are family now.”

The Nohrian Prince straightened, and after a pause, his mother reached forward, to take one of his hands and place them delicately between her own.

She looked thoughtful, as she examined his hands, his face.

“I had feared the worst, when I had agreed to give my son away to a stranger of a different land.” She said, “I wondered if, blinded as my duty as queen to my kingdom and my people, that I had asked him for too large a sacrifice.”

“But I see so much in you, Prince Leo. Intelligence, of course. But also courage, and an incredible capacity for kindness. You who lead with a strong mind but a tender heart.”

She smiled then, “You are so much like my dear Takumi. I am proud to welcome you as a son.”

Her words seemed to stun Prince Leo to stillness. His calm demeanor that had weathered Takumi’s anger and Hoshidan distrust, somehow unsettled in the face of her kindness.

Gaze far away. Closed them peacefully, before giving a loving smile. “I leave him in your care.”

Prince Leo nodded solemnly. Takumi looked away, frowning at the phrasing.

Then she took Takumi’s hand and brought them together, until Leo and Takumi were linked.

Holding their clasped hands between her own, she then addressed them both.

“You two are a wonderful match, young men who are both young and proud and with so much potential. You will grow into such wonderful people, such wonderful leaders. With you two at our helm, I envision a bright future, for both Hoshido and Nohr.”

“I am so proud of you Takumi. Leo. And know that whatever may come, that will never change.”

He felt the barest of a tremor from Leo where their fingers were interlocked.

Takumi bit his lip, and thought of how unfair it was, that his mother was so adept at filling others with her love and affection. How utterly trusting of her to view Leo as another son.

Because wasn’t he enough? Was the gap left by Corrin truly so large that Takumi could not hope to fill it? Why would she even need more sons when she had him, loyal and true and utterly willing to do anything for her?

He would even do this. Tolerate a Nohrian in his life and in his bed, and suffer quietly as everyone else in their two nations celebrated their union.

It didn’t make sense. He should be happy if this was all he had to do to earn her approval, her love. That was all he had wanted after all.

And yet as she left, Takumi felt even more alone than ever.

 

* * *

 

Their hands remain linked as they walk to the new shared room prepared for them.

As the door slid shut, Takumi expected to feel relieved. He had always hated social events, and the second he could escape it were as though a burden fell from his shoulders. But instead, as they stood together in a foreign room, it’s space too small and bed too large, Takumi felt as if he had entered a battlefield of another sort.

In contrast to the warm glow of the paper lanterns along the walls, the air was alive with tension and awkwardness. The the servants had already laid out a pair of bedclothes, the intention clear.

They were going to be sleeping together.

He felt dread curl low in his stomach, and felt like he may be sick.

But he forced himself to take deep breaths, and busied himself with changing into the more comfortable nightclothes. It wouldn’t be that bad. He was going to have to get over his night terrors some time or the other. It was just going to have to be sooner than later.

With visible hesitance, Prince Leo followed suit, and for a while it was just the rustling of fabric as they each kept to themselves, only amplifying the strained silence between them.

When he turned around, he saw that Prince Leo had settled down on one side of the mattress, where he rubbed at his knees. Takumi was struck with the thought that it was the most human thing he's seen from the blond today.

And it’s not just his posture that’s different. Leo, after having taking off the rigid and formal Nohrian wedding garment, was lithe and slender in his dark form fitting nightclothes in a way Takumi could never hope to be. Takumi was transfixed by the sight, only to be jolted out of his reverie when Prince Leo took a deep breath and spoke.

“Prince Takumi. I wish to apologize for earlier. This marriage would be good for both our countries, and I do wish to get along with you.”

And it was unreasonable, the anger that rose within him.

He was supposed to agree with the Nohrian Prince. He _did_ agree with the Nohrian prince.

But in the din of the room, alone with this stranger, there was nothing to distract Takumi from the overwhelming unfairness of it all. The gap between what he should and want and can’t do. Of what little control he had left of his life, of which he owned nothing but petty rebellion.

In a world where he was an inconsequential stranger, how enticing it was, to harbor a bitterness, an anger inside him, if it was the only thing he could call his own.

Who was Prince Leo, to try to take that away from him?

“Well, I don’t want to get along with you!” He gritted out.

It wasn’t even about distrust, the familiar friend born of his own insecurities and embarrassment, that he greeted at the doorstep to any new relationship. He just outright disliked Leo, all his propriety and arrogance, perfection and fakeness.

For a moment, Prince Leo’s face twisted into an outright scowl at his words, and Takumi reveled in it. It made the Nohrian’s sharp nose and perfect lips contort, until his face was marred with his distaste. It was a mark on a perfect facade of cold intellectuality and calculated compliance, a confirmation that perhaps, Leo too, had hidden resentments about their relationship.

But the moment passes quickly, and the mask was back on, formal and polite, even as Prince Leo couldn’t seem to hide the glare in his eyes. “I hope you would reconsider.”

And the room fell into silence as a cold tension filled the air.

When minutes passed and Takumi didn’t respond, Leo took a deep, controlled breath, “Listen,” He tried again, "I'm _trying_ to be the perfect husband for you. I’ll even comply with your desires, this night-”

_His desires - ?_

And that made something inside Takumi snap, as he realized the insinuation. To think _that_ was what Leo had expected. Physical intimacy. When they had _just met each other_. Takumi felt disgusted, violated at the idea that the Nohrian had even thought of him in such a way.

“Like I would want- want- ” Takumi couldn’t even bring himself to say it, “With _Nohrian scum_ like you?”

Leo visibly recoiled.

“Why are you so damn uncooperative?” He was starting to look agitated now, All traces of the composed and regal prince at dinner ebbing away.

“Well maybe I’d be more cooperative if my spouse didn’t _look down_ at me, treating me like a child!”

“That’s because you _are_ acting like a child! The world doesn’t revolve around you, you know!” Leo hissed. Seemingly finally losing his composure. “Maybe you would do well to just _get over yourself_ , and do your portion of our agreement for the sake of everyone involved!“

And that hit far too close to home, when Takumi had obsessed over his fate even when Nohr had misplaced Corrin, when Takumi had obsessed over how unfair the arrangement were for him when god knows what Azura was going to do now with her life. And he can’t control the anger that rose within him anymore, until -

“You think this is what I wanted??” Takumi shouted at him, “I-”

The sliding door to their rooms opened then, and they both jump a little with shock. And unfamiliar Nohrian man with white hair and one eye appeared at the doorway, expression laced with an unamused nonchalance.

“Pardon the intrusion.” He nodded at Leo, before turning to Takumi, “While it’s unlike me to criticize someone for being loud in bed, but at this rate the whole castle will be able to hear your lovemaking.” He paused to give a mocking bow, “ _Milord_.”

Takumi flushed, _what the hell_ was that supposed to mean, and _who the hell_ was this man to think he could talk to royalty in such a way-

But Leo simply sighed and dismissed the man with a wave, and silence befell the room once more.

After a beat. “You think this is what _I_ wanted??” Prince Leo asked sadly.

“You said you arranged this.” Takumi challenged, “How could you _not_ want this?”

“I didn’t - When Camilla left-!” Prince Leo’s face twisted into a grimace, showing hurt and shock, “You didn’t even _know_ her!”

His breath seemed to quicken, before it was visibly restrained.

“Perhaps you misinterpreted what I said earlier. It is true that I volunteered for my role, but only because I could not stand the thought of Elise doing the same."

And all of the sudden the vulnerability is gone, hidden again under the Nohrian Prince’s cold exterior, “I imagine It would have made more sense, that the second princess of Nohr take Camilla’s place when she left. But Elise is just a child. I could not stand by and allow her to give her life away in such a way.”

The words silenced Takumi. Takumi had honestly forgotten about the second (first?) princess.

Yet, there was that malicious voice in his ear, whispering, _Gods. Was getting married to him truly such a burden?_ A choice that nobody in the Nohrian family wanted. The onslaught of emotions wet his eyes, so he turned away, refusing to allow Leo to see him upset.

“I don’t expect you to understand, and maybe I don’t know what to make of our relationship.” Leo continued, “But.. I do hope we can make the most of this situation.”

And there’s a vulnerability in his voice that Takumi’s not heard before. Something soft and genuine, and it struck a chord with Takumi. Somewhere deep down below his wounded pride and anger, he found that he sympathized with the other man. He wanted to tell him, _gods, I didn’t know_ , and _that’s exactly how it is for me too!_ , and _I’m sorry_.

“Don’t touch me.” He said instead, as he shifted into the bed, turning his body away and burying his face into the pillow, as far as physically possible on one side of the bed.

With a long suffering sigh, and a shift in the blankets he noted that Prince Leo starting to do the same.

But for a moment, he felt like maybe he did understand.

Objectively, Leo’s motives had made sense. And really, had it been the opposite way around, Takumi knew he wouldn’t blink twice at the idea of doing the same for Sakura. So obsessed he had been over Leo being a Nohrian and a Prince that he’d never really considered the idea that Leo had a family too. That he was human just like anyone else.

And in that vein, he was everything Takumi was. The overlooked younger brother. Whereas King Xander got all the praise for sealing an alliance with a longstanding enemy, Prince Leo had the thankless task of being the bargaining chip. A willing martyr to prevent his little sister from doing the same

_Young, proud, and with so much potential._

Mother was right. Leo _was_ very similar to Takumi.

It came to no surprise then, that Takumi absolutely _hated_ Leo. After all, he’d never particularly liked himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi. I’m not really a fic writer. 
> 
> But I was dying for a enemies to friends to lovers Leokumi fic with a side of _heart wrenching ‘fake dating au’ tropes_ … while being married?.. Or something like that. But then I came to the devastating realization that if I wanted this fic the way I wanted it written, I WOULD HAVE TO WRITE IT MYSELF.
> 
> I intended this story to be a simple one shot, but by the time I finished the first draft, it was already ~25k words and with much regret I decided to cut it into smaller, more manageable chunks. After final editing, chapter one is almost 10k and there are going to be a total of about 8 chapters I think. /rolls in writing hell
> 
> It’s probably terrible? But thank you for reading and I’d love to have feedback!! Also if anyone would like to beta/knows how I could find a beta reader, I’m like really really really desperate for one. /sobs into sleeve
> 
> If you’d be interested, or if you just want to obsess with me over Leokumi, you can contact me at my tumblr: copperjellyroll.tumblr.com


	2. A moonless sky entrusts the tides to fate,

Morning came, and Takumi woke up feeling more tired than when he’d fallen asleep.

He instinctively grasped towards his nightstand, for familiar golden curves of his Fujin Yumi. But seconds passed and his hands only met empty, open air and at second glance, the cabinet beside his bed was completely unfamiliar in its design.

His nightstand wasn’t there. His Fujin Yumi wasn’t there.

This wasn’t his room. Where was he?

There was movement from the other side of his bed and the events of the last night finally caught up with him.

The blond prince was exactly where he’d been at the beginning of the night, turned away from Takumi on the very edge of their bed. Prince Leo groaned, and seemed to shake himself awake, only to squeeze his eyes shut against the morning light.

“Rise and shine,” Takumi grumbled, as he got up to start his day.

He peeked outside their door to see Oboro on guard, making light conversation with an unfamiliar blond clad in little more than sheer organza and a yellow cape. One of Leo’s retainers, Takumi presumed.  

“Oh!” Oboro blinked when she saw him, and her expression morphed into a sunny smile, “Good morning Lord Takumi!”

Takumi forced his eyes away from the foreign retainer. He’d never seen someone dressed so ridiculously in his entire lifetime. What must it be like in Nohr, where people believed that such a getup was the norm? “Good morning Oboro.”

With a swift bow, she moved to prepare his clothes for the day, and it occurred to him that it was the first time he’d seen her since the wedding.

“Um,” he interrupted.

She stopped, and turned to look at him questioningly.

“Thank you,” he said.

To offer when he could not bring himself to ask really went beyond her duty as a retainer.  Honestly, it sometimes felt like he was taking advantage of her devotion to him.

And she must have known what he meant because her eyes got a little teary even as she smiled, and she bowed once more, with her hands clasped tightly in front of her. “I live to serve you, Lord Takumi!”

 

* * *

 

Oboro presented him a familiar yet comfortable kimono, and Leo’s retainer must have done the same for his lord, because Leo was dressed when he more stumbled than walked out of their room.

They headed to breakfast, and Takumi accepted a bowl of porridge and a side of pickled vegetables with a bow to the chef and an enthusiastic, “Itadakimasu!”

Leo on the other hand, looked blankly at the porridge, then brought a hand to his temple, as if nursing a headache.

And Takumi’s annoyance towards the blond returned with a vengeance, and he couldn’t stop himself from hissing, “The kitchen staff worked hard to make that you know. You could at least respect their efforts and eat without complaint.”

Leo gave a long suffering sigh, a non-answer that only irritated Takumi more.

“Oh! You two are already up!”

Takumi turned to see Hinoka approaching the table wearing her pegasus knight uniform, apparently having just completed her morning training.

He didn’t think much of her appearance, but the effect of her words on Leo were immediate, and his expression and posture changed until he was suddenly both alert and sporting a small but charming smile, an altogether different person than he was just a moment prior. It was as if the Leo from two seconds ago had never existed to begin with.

“Good morning, big sister Hinoka.” He nodded to her politely, and Hinoka visibly startled.

“You called me-?” she started, before quickly backtracking, “U-um yeah. Good Morning Prince Leo.”

And as she took a bowl piled high with vegetables and grilled fish, Leo made small talk, asking about morning training, and the differences between the flight of pegasus knights as opposed to wyverns. Leo apparently rode a horse, and they commiserated over the difficulties in winning the trust of their respective beasts.

And all Takumi could think of was how incredibly _obvious_ it was that Leo was trying to worm his way into her heart. But Hinoka was wrapped up in speaking impassionedly about her training, and seemed to think Leo as nothing more than an attentive listener.

He didn’t want to sour the mood, so he tried to distract himself from his irritation by asking the servants the whereabouts of the rest of his family. Unsurprisingly, Ryoma and mother were off at some diplomatic meeting. They had been making the most of the Nohrians’ visit, and it came more as a surprise that they had the time for food at all. Sakura had left just before they’d arrived, hand in hand with Princess Elise to play the day away, as was the nature of the freedom given to the youngest royalty .

Not long later, Hinoka finished her meal and then she too had to leave, in order to attend to her pegasus.

“It was nice speaking to you,” she said to Leo with a smile, as she excused herself from the table.

And then it’s just the two of them. Takumi was trying to put together the words to say something unsavory about Leo being a wolf in sheep’s clothing, before he noticed that Leo was staring at his hands.

“What?” Takumi asked defensively.

“Shouldn’t you be wearing your ring?” Leo asked, voice so quiet it was barely a whisper.

Takumi stared at him, confused. He had placed the trinket in a drawer beside their bed when he went to sleep.

“Am I supposed to still be wearing it?”

Leo narrowed his eyes. “ _Yes._ ”

Takumi frowned, unimpressed by Leo’s glare, “For every day, for the rest of my life?”

“ _Yes._ ”

He looked at the Nohrian incredulously, only to realize that Leo was still wearing his. With a grimace, Takumi shuffled back to their room and retrieved the ring.

He had thought it like the wedding hakama or Nohrian suit - a decoration to be worn in the ceremony and nothing more. And considering that it was such an expensive trinket, it felt wrong to wear it so flamboyantly. But perhaps he shouldn’t have expected Nohrians to be practical in their marriage rituals.

At least it was Hoshidan made, and Orochi herself had looked at it just to make sure there was no sorcery in its design.

He wiggled it on until it sat heavy and cold at the base of his fourth finger, and tried to adjust to its weight on his hand.

 

* * *

 

They spend that first morning together tying up the formalities of their union, which turned out to be a lot of sending thank you gifts and sorting through the envelopes given to them by their wedding guests. The latter’s contents turned out to mostly monetary in nature, as was tradition, making their job easier.

Afterwards, Takumi suggested that they set out to see Shirasagi square.

Leo shrugged, “With all due respect, I have already been given the tour of the capital.”

 _You’d just be wasting my time_ , Takumi heard, and the dressing of courtesy only served to irritate him further, “Well, I don’t see you suggesting an alternative solution.”

“I was going to continue attending the negotiations.”

Oh.

Takumi had been aware that negotiations had been going on since the Nohrian entourage arrived, but Takumi had been actively avoiding them. He’d never been particularly good at dealing with nobles, with all their scary formalities and sly requests. It was a surprise, to learn that Prince Leo had been in attendance.

He hated the thought of going, but he supposed he wasn’t going to catch the tiger’s cub without entering its den. More importantly, Leo was going, and by the Dawn Dragon, Takumi wasn’t going to lose to him.

Even if there was a part of him that wanted to go see the festivities. Just a little bit.

“We’ll go together then.”

Leo frowned, eyes wary, and Takumi got the distinct feeling that Leo considered him a burden.

“If that is what you wish.”

 

* * *

 

Ryoma and the King of Nohr were already in a heated debate when they arrived, and Takumi felt a jolt of nervousness when all eyes turned on them as they entered the room.

Leo bowed. “Pardon the intrusion.”

A servant scrambled to prepare a cushion for each of them, and they took a seat beside their brothers at the front of the room. Across from them sat a wide array of influential feudal lords, some which Takumi recognized to be close to his family, but also many who were notoriously irritable and had been in opposition to peace with Nohr for decades now.

Takumi barely suppressed a gulp.

And the debate resumed. It became immediately clear that he had missed out on quite a bit, as one lord gave an impassioned speech about the cloth used to make socks, of all things.

But Leo held no hesitation as he joined in the conversation with the intimacy of fish to water, and even Takumi was forced to admit that Prince Leo was something of a genius.

Looking at the Nohrian brothers, Takumi pegged them to be a balanced pair: Xander the brawn and Leo the brains behind Nohr. But the reality was startlingly different. Both Nohrian brothers proved to be extraordinarily intelligent, but while Xander was the natural born leader and the spearhead to reform, Leo provided the means to implement his brother’s policies, being savvy with people in a way that awed Takumi and also disgusted him to the core.

He was bold in a way that bordered on rudeness, and maneuvered people like they were the wedge shaped tiles of shogi.

A prime example: for several straight minutes Leo feigned interest in a Lord’s opinion on fine cuisine only to respond with,

“But then you must be supportive of the proposed changes to the Nohr-Hoshidan agricultural market. As I am given to understand that your primary concern is that food is respected and valued, there should be no problem in exporting these crops that are not even consumed by your people.”

The entire room became silent enough to hear the chirping of cicadas.

And Takumi could practically _hear_ the Lord’s indignation - that it’s not about which foods were exported to Nohr, but the principal of the matter - the idea of exporting food to a country that had killed so many innocent Hoshidans! But Leo’s argument was so well placed that his victim found himself unable to escape the moral conundrum of his own making.

And therein laid the difference between them - Xander was honorable and straightforward, the type to inspire compliance through the strength of his conviction.

Leo was a _conniving little shit_.

“Impressed?” Leo gibed snidely under his breath, upon seeing Takumi’s expression.

Takumi promptly closed his open mouth, and retorted, “You’re a conniving little shit!”

Leo had the nerve to laugh, “Why, thank you.”

And the meeting continued in much the same way. King Xander decided on the topics of controversy, and Leo picked and chose his battles to bring his brother’s objectives to fruition. He ignored the lords he could not hope to convince and appealed to those who even showed a moment of weakness, an inkling that they could be swayed to fit Leo’s agenda. And he was _efficient_ , with complete disregard for propriety and sentimentality.

It was ruthless, and Takumi wasn’t surprised. Leo somehow fit perfectly into every Nohrian stereotype he’d ever learned growing up.

The congregation separated for lunch and Takumi immediately stood to leave, only to be stopped by Leo’s hand on his sleeve.

“Pardon me. As you’re already here, won’t you introduce me to some of the feudal lords here?”

Even that was carefully phrased as a request and not a question.

Here Leo was, barging into Takumi’s life with political aptitude and people skills beyond Takumi’s wildest imagination, who would willingly direct negotiations in a country not his own, and defeat even the most stubborn of opponents through sheer power of wit.

Who was Takumi in comparison, but a shy boy who had to gather up courage just to appear in public, and even then, would still panic before obligatory social gatherings? Mikoto had told him that talking to people was a skill that would be honed with time, but never had Takumi felt so inadequate, where it felt like _Takumi_ was the foreigner in this court.

It was one thing to be upstaged by his brother; Ryoma had almost a decade on him in experience. But this Nohrian Prince was the same age as he, and his presence did nothing but make Takumi aware of insecurities he’d never even thought about before.

And now, to ask Takumi to introduce him to the court’s Lords and Ladies who have done nothing but laugh at Takumi his entire life - the clumsy young Prince who managed to blotch every coming of age ceremony growing up, the crybaby who failed as a swordsman before switching to archer, who wouldn’t even belong in the royal family if not for the Fujin Yumi.

“No.” Takumi responded,

Leo’s eyes widened imperceptibly, before his voice returned, sharp and businesslike, “But you must see that establishing stronger relationships-”

“It’s not about that!” Takumi interrupted, “I don’t _want_ to.”

 _I don’t want to,_ because saying _I can’t_ was too humiliating an admission for him to bear.

Leo’s eyes narrowed at his noncompliance. “Please excuse me then.”

Takumi watched as Leo turned to leave, not in the direction of the other royals, but to intercept a particularly influential Lord who Takumi vaguely knew as someone experienced in the workings of the merchant groups on Hoshido’s western border.

Takumi would have warned Leo that attempting to win him over was useless, as that man had lost all his children to Nohrian brigands not a year before Mikoto set up her barrier.

But he said nothing. If he was honest with himself, he kind of wanted to watch Leo crash and burn.

He moved to leave once more, only to see that Ryoma lingered beside the door, eyeing Leo’s actions with interest.

Ryoma smiled and advised, “You could learn from him, Takumi.”

And Takumi’s eyes widened in shock for all of a half second, before he was filled with betrayal and uncontrollable fury. Had Ryoma been _impressed_ with Leo’s dishonesty and underhanded tactics? And to imply that Takumi was somehow inferior to Leo _._ Well, Takumi knew he was lacking in many ways, but it hurt, to hear his brother bring the topic up so casually.

“Learn what?” he snapped, “How to kneel before the feudal lords and _lick their boots?_ ”

Ryoma frowned in disapproval. “You cannot afford to aggravate others, brother, especially when you need their support.”

Takumi stormed from the room. _How dare_ his brother take the side of the foreigner over that of his own flesh and blood? And he had been the one to warn Takumi of the Nohrian’s unsavory motives. What had happened to that?

 

* * *

 

Ryoma was not the only one - it seemed as if his whole family was turning upon him.

That day the lunch table was set for just his Mother and his siblings, the Nohrians choosing to dine on their own.

The chefs had prepared miso soup, which was always a welcomed surprise, but the meal soon became tainted as conversation at the table turned to discuss his Nohrian spouse.

“Leo is surprisingly mature for his age,” Hinoka commented, munching on a large helping of rice and beans.

“ _What?_ ” Takumi asked, with no small amount of disbelief, ”How did you get _that_ impression?”

“We were discussing the role of women on the battlefield and in politics,” she said in way of explanation. “I didn’t know that Nohrians had such different perceptions on gender roles. It’s refreshing.”

“Of course he'd say that, with his plaster face and oily tongue!” Takumi shouted.

“Language, Takumi,” his mother chided with a frown, and Takumi blushed in embarrassment at the reprimand.

Ryoma seemed to consider what he said, before speaking up. “I’m not sure how you developed that opinion of him.”

Takumi was about to argue when Ryoma continued, “Diplomatic work aside, he’s an levelheaded fighter. During our spars, I found that he was clearly someone who fought with both intelligence and dignity.”

And Takumi froze in disbelief, because when did _that_ happen?

So that’s how Leo got in with Ryoma. He saw that Hoshido’s high prince was a warrior and appealed to him with a friendly duel.

But Takumi had always thought brotherly sparring something that Ryoma only did with him! It was _their_ special tradition, _their_ time to bond as siblings!

But then he considered how Leo referred to Hinoka as his older sister earlier in the morning, and felt utterly enraged imagining Leo trying to take his older brother from him in the same way.

Unexpectedly, that was when his younger sister chimed in, “U-um! H-he was very kind with me, when I w-was giving him the tour of the capital,” Sakura murmured. “He s-seemed very interested in our culture, and I’m not s-sure I explained everything r-right, but he l-listened and asked questions the whole time!”

She was blushing, and Takumi didn’t know what to think. His little sister too? He took a breath and swore to himself that Leo would never again see the light of day if he were to lay one hand on Sakura.

“He’s been nothing but polite in all the interactions I observed.” Yukimura commented.

And that at least, Takumi agreed with. But didn't they see, that was _exactly the problem_.

“Have you spent much time getting to know him?” Mother asked.

 _More than any of you!_ he wanted to shout, but it was his mother, so he tried to remain civil. “You don’t see it because you’re Queen. But he’s - he’s--” Takumi looked for the right phrase, “ _A snake in the grass_.”

The table seemed to ponder this.

Then Ryoma asked, “Weren’t you two joking with each other at the meeting earlier?”

Takumi thought back to the meeting, and realized exactly what his brother was referring to.

“No!” he retorted, “I insulted him, and he laughed!”

He was being serious, and yet all he earned was a laugh from the entire table.

“Seems to Orochi that you two are getting along pretty well then!” his ex-babysitter piped up.

Reina nodded in agreement, “Lord Takumi has always been the prickly one. It’s good to hear that the Nohrian Prince’s disposition compliments his personality.”

And with that he had soundly lost his argument. Of course they wouldn’t pay his worries any mind. Did they even care for how he felt at all? He excused himself from the table to fume alone.

 

* * *

 

He went to the library, one of the few places in Shirasagi that was consistently well lit and tranquil, in hopes to find peace amongst the woody scent of paper and distant birdsong.

Only, there was already a blond prince occupying his favorite seat in the building. Takumi looked on in utter disbelief, where Prince Leo sat surrounded by half a dozen books and manuscripts. If he hadn’t known better he would think that the man was spiting him.

He almost knocked a particularly large scroll over in his distraction, and Leo’s eyes met his when the blond looked up.

Takumi startled, and then schooled his face into a scowl, “I didn’t expect the Prince of a warmongering nation to be a scholar.”

Takumi didn’t even know how that was supposed to constitute an insult, but he hoped that if he spat the line venomously enough, it would cover up his misstep.

Leo pursed his lips, and spoke as if he were lecturing a child, “Well, not everything can be solved with brute force.”

Takumi bristled at his tone.

“So you like to _study_ how to kill people?!” he hissed, and stormed out of the library before Leo could respond. How pompous. How patronizing.

Takumi took his aggression out on targets at the archery range. It seemed to be the only place untouched by Leo’s influence.

 

* * *

 

Takumi started to see the wisdom of jaded men, those who compared relationships to a war, where every interaction was a battlefield. The only difference was of course, that in marriage his enemy happened to sleep beside him at night.

He returned to their room at dusk to find the lanterns still lit. Leo was writing some sort of letter at his desk, sitting cross legged in the privacy of their own quarters.

And Takumi was done for the day, so he laid in bed but was unable to sleep as he contemplated the blond.

He watched Leo’s hands and scanned his meticulously organized desk for hidden weapons, concealed inscriptions, or anything else that could implicate the blond. He could only hope that if he found something, he could convince his siblings of Leo’s true nature.

Without turning around to look at him, Leo said, “I’ve done nothing to earn your distrust.”

And he’s caught in the act, leading him to flush in embarrassment before he retorted, “You’re Nohrian, that’s enough.”

“Oh? By that logic, I should distrust all Hoshidans?”

Takumi scoffed. “Well, we’re not backstabbing cowards.”

“I’d beg to differ,” Leo said, tone conversational, “The nature of Queen Mikoto’s magical barrier is to alter the very minds of your enemies. I would consider that a tactic far more cowardly, and akin to a far greater crime than a blade to the back.”

 _What._ Takumi sat up. “Don’t you _dare_ disrespect my mother.”

“And you should not disrespect my people.” Leo responded.

Takumi’s mind was whirring with indignation as he was still trying to process the magnitude of what Leo had just revealed. Of course he knew what Mikoto’s barrier did, but it was an entirely different matter to see someone talk about it in the way Leo described.

“I don’t understand,” he settled on, “She has been nothing but kind to you! How can you say that about her?!”

“I choose not to be moved by sentimentality. I prefer to view people objectively, as they are useful to me.”

Was that why Leo talked down his nose at Takumi? Because even his spouse could see that underneath his fancy title and legendary weapon, he was someone who was _worthless_ in all senses of the word?

“Put this way,” Leo continued, “Would you prefer a kind ruler, or a strong one?”

“That’s not the point!” Takumi argued, “Kindness _is_ strength!”

Leo shook his head, “With all due respect, I have to disagree. I believe kindness a luxury and a weakness. Hoshido is bountiful with food and resources, and its rich soil makes it possible for the people here to be so kind. And it is easy to think otherwise, when you’ve known nothing else.”

“In Nohr,” he said, with an air of finality, “You are not gifted the throne. You _seize_ it.”

And put that way, it hurt. To think that Takumi was included in his family only because they had the _luxury_ of doing so. That he was a royal only because of his birthright and the love of those around him. It was certainly very true that he had a very empty list of personal accomplishments.

“Fine. You got me.” Takumi stated, blistering with barely contained anger and hurt, “I was okay with it when they told me I had to marry Princess Camilla. It only became a _problem_ when I found that I had to marry _you_.”

Leo paused, and seemed to consider this. “Because I am a man?”

Was Leo _stupid?_

“Because you’re a _pretentious asshole_.”

Leo gave a deep sigh, and Takumi sensed that there was a retort at the tip of his tongue, some particularly vicious diatribe against Takumi’s character.

But Prince Leo was too well behaved to say anything - a part of him still trying to get onto Takumi’s good side he supposed, and Takumi hated him all the more for it.

 

* * *

 

He went to the archery range again the next morning, the burn of the draw and flex of his bow the only thing reliably able to distract him from his thoughts.

He utterly decimated one target after another in his anger, and ignored the servants muttering in the background. At this point he couldn’t bear to think of their scorn on top of everything else.

But that exact thought was what made him lose control over the Fujin Yumi, and suddenly the winds that had previously folded obediently to his command swirled in a dance of blades as they sliced repeatedly into hand and arm and he startled back, dropping the yumi.

“Lord Takumi!” he heard from behind him, as Hinata rushed over.

He muttered his apologies to his retainer and they rush to grab a healer. He should know better at this point to handle something as powerful as the Fujin Yumi while he was not in the right mind. It was damaging to himself, but more importantly, it was disrespectful to the bow.

He spent the morning polishing it instead, and tried to ignore Hinata’s sigh of relief.

Takumi thought that was the end of it, but Hinata tailed him for the rest of the day, his restlessness showing in the constant bouncing on his heels and fidgeting with the ties around his sword. The brunet samurai finally seemed to gather the courage to speak up sometime in the evening. “Is something wrong milord? You’ve been like this all day.”

Takumi sighed, a long and lonely thing, and tried to find words to explain his predicament.

“It’s just … Prince Leo.”

Hinata tilted his head and didn’t respond, as if he couldn’t fathom why Prince Leo was giving Takumi any problems. After all, didn’t everyone see him as the golden child, the perfect son, perfect brother -

“He’s such a pompous asshole!” Takumi shouted suddenly, and he couldn’t tell if he was addressing Hinata, or reassuring his own circling thoughts.

Hinata only frowned. “If you say so, milord.”

And he’s stopped cold by the idea that even _his retainer_ wasn’t backing him up.

Of course, Hinata had a habit of ignoring what he said, to do things for Takumi that he’d never thought to ask. Hinata always had a second sense for handling Takumi’s moods, and for all he acted like an overly attached puppy, Takumi never could figure out how Hinata managed to read him like a open book.

Like that time when he’d brought the exact type of snacks Takumi had been craving, even as Takumi insisted he was _far too old_ for them. Or when Takumi insisted he was _fine_ after listening to an anthology of Orochi’s scary stories, and Hinata took one look at him and started a burping contest, and stayed with Takumi until the haunting of ghosts and demons was forgotten in his gasping laughter.

But he didn’t think it would be a trait that would surface now, leading Hinata to ignore him when Takumi was actually frustrated!

And Oboro wasn’t there to give her opinion, but didn’t she get along alright with Leo’s retainer from the previous morning? He hadn’t seen her notorious scary face as she talked to him, even though she had claimed it an uncontrollable reaction to all things Nohrian!

His frustration was only exacerbated when he passed Leo in the halls on his way back to their room. Prince Leo’s face immediately scrunching up as he scrutinized Takumi’s clothing.

“What are you looking at?” Takumi instantly hissed.

Prince Leo opened his mouth, as if to release a particularly vicious quip, only to restrain himself at the last second.

“You’re a skilled archer, correct? I admit that I have no skill in archery, but I was just thinking how I would love to learn.”

Oh.

Takumi’s vision hazed with his anger.

Leo was _not_ going to trick him with that. His whole family could fall for it, but as Ryoma had kindly pointed out all those weeks ago, Takumi was an insecure, suspicious prick.

“No way in hell. You have a problem with how I look, don’t you.” He accused.

Leo frowned.

“Perhaps I was surprised, as I have not seen you dressed so casually in the middle of the day before.” He said placatingly. “It’s a good look on you.”

But the way Prince Leo was looking at him _like he was wearing rags_ spoke far louder than his empty flattery.

And Takumi looked down to assess his archer’s uniform. Sure, it was a little casual and clearly a little big on him, and maybe he was a little sweaty from all his exercise earlier.

But _these were the clothes his mother had handmade for him._ And of course they’d be a little big, he was still growing!

“What’s it to you,” he snarled, “If I’m not dressed to _seize the throne?!_ ”

Prince Leo’s eyes flash, in warning and in reprimand.

“Say that louder why don’t you,” He hissed, “I’m not sure the entire building heard.”

Takumi felt his stomach flip, but was undeterred. If Leo didn’t want the castle to know, he shouldn’t have said those words in the first place.

“Well I’m _sorry,_ ” Takumi bit out sarcastically, “I _forget_ sometimes, that you don’t disrespect Hoshidans unless it suits your interests.”

Prince Leo narrowed his eyes, and it sounded as if he was starting to get agitated too, “I was given to understand that _respectable_ Hoshidan couples kept personal matters to themselves.”

“So you treat me like dirt, and then I’m not supposed to say anything since I’m your _spouse_?” Takumi spat.

“I had no intent to incite your anger with our debate.” Leo returned coldly, “ _Forgive me_ if I was simply exhausted, being unable to rest these past few nights with all the thrashing and yelling you do in your sleep.”

And Prince Leo continued on to say something else, but Takumi had stopped listening, chilled to the bone with that thought that Leo _knew_.

It was his deepest secret, his most humiliating fear, his biggest worry when he found out that they would be sleeping together. The utter terror of watching his family and everything he’d ever known and loved, abandon him, betray him, and die in front of him, in nightmares that plagued him _his entire life_ , and to allow _such a ruthless stranger sit back and watch him when he was at his most vulnerable -_

And he was suddenly shaking as he tried to fight the cold that that constricted his chest and shook his hands, a fear that would not subside even as Takumi forced himself to breathe. Breathe. _Breathe._

 

* * *

 

That was the breaking point.

When he got into bed that night, he could think of nothing else but how much he _hated_ Prince Leo's presence. From his clothes made of animal furs and skin, to the black and white checkered board he kept by his bedside table, to his meticulously organized desk, to the light smell that permeated the room, clean and musty with a dash of mint.

Honestly, shouldn't he be getting rid of all that Nohrian stuff since he was staying in Hoshido now? Like the _proper Hoshidan_ who knew how to use _chopsticks_ and how to suck up to the Hoshidan court, and could replace the failure of a Prince and Brother that Takumi was.

Takumi calmed his breathing, and tried not to despair.

_How was he going to live the rest of his life like this?_

Sure, Prince Leo could pretend his way into the hearts of the court, the hearts of his family, but Leo was the perfect one, the golden child. Takumi wasn’t like that. He was so imperfect he couldn’t even _bear to pretend_.

He found a break in their schedule, a day when there were no meetings and no extraneous events to attend, and the night before he settled in as usual and pretended to sleep until Leo’s breaths evened out from where the blond rested beside him,

Then he grabbed his Fujin Yumi from where he stowed it under their bed, and ran off into the woods.

The air was crisp and clear and smelled of wet moss and fresh leaves - the smell of comfort, of freedom. And whereas the passing of Hoshidan spring lead to a week of too hot days, the night brought with it a cool reprieve - not just from the heat of the sun, but from the light it shed on reality.

And it was a relief, as he paced through his most familiar hunting route, just to browse the sprawling vegetation dappled by the bright moonlight. His every movement surrounded by Fujin Yumi’s blessed winds, the air his only loyal friend and ally.

It was here that he felt complete, and part of him never wanted to go back, believing that if he kept walking in one direction far enough, he’d finally be able to escape from the crushing feeling of everyone’s overwhelming disappointment.

It was an impossible fantasy, but he indulged in it all the same as he walked as one amongst the moon and the stars. Around him, not the judgemental glares of servant and lord alike, but the chorus of crickets and the blinking of fireflies as they danced into the night

 

* * *

 

In what felt like not a moment later, he was struggling to open his heavy eyelids as something was roughly shaking him awake.

It was Hinata staring at him in full blown panic, his face completely pale with fear. “Milord? Milord! Oh thank gods you’re awake!”

Takumi blinked. He was seated at the base of a tree, his hands sticky with condensation and his furs wet with morning dew. He must have fallen asleep at some point and not realized it.

“We have to get back! Everyone’s worried about you milord!” Hinata urged him, bouncing on his heels and trying to push Takumi back in the direction of the castle.

Takumi furrowed his brows disbelievingly at the urgency in Hinata’s tone, as he was sure nobody even missed him. But he could humor his retainer, so he got up and followed suit.

He’d barely made it past the garden gates when he saw a pegasus circling overhead. It was Hinoka, who had spotted him from her position in the air. Before he’d known it, she’d dived down and dismounted, before barreling into him until her hands were clutched tightly around his waist in a bone breaking hug.

“ _Oh thank gods_ ,” she gasped out, and Takumi was startled by the amount of raw emotion in her voice. “I-I was so afraid.”

“We didn’t know where you were!” she rambled. “And I thought about what you said at lunch the other day - when we’d just dismissed your concerns, and I wondered if I had lost my only younger brother because I had been too stubborn to just _listen to him_.”

Takumi blinked in confusion.

Hinoka looked like she was about to _cry_.

His big sister - strong, protective Hinoka, who suffered through hours of strenuous training every day with a determination that was only rivaled by the burning of the sun. Who stubbornly refused her role as a woman in Hoshidan society to pick up armor and blade, so to shove herself before anyone else that offered lose their life on the frontlines of battle.

Who, when push came to shove, considered Takumi her _only_ younger brother.

And he’s paralyzed by the liquid pooling in the corners of her eyes, sticking to her eyelashes, dripping down her face -

He was saved by the shuffling of footsteps coming from the castle, and he felt Hinoka stiffen in his arms as she sensed them as well. She released him and awkwardly wiped at her face, and he turned to the newcomers gratefully, only to find that it was Prince Leo and his blond retainer.

The Nohrian Prince immediately darted forward, and rushed to grab his hand.

Takumi’s first instinct was the jerk it away, overcome with the disgust of touching the source of all his recent problems, only to freeze with the startling certainty that Leo’s hands were _ice cold_.

“As I said,” Leo said, voice faintly shaking, “He was out hunting.”

He clasped Takumi fingers with a tightness that bordered on being painful.

Actually, Takumi’s hand was starting to hurt a little bit.

Hinoka shot the Nohrian Prince a suspicious glare, and Takumi was overcome with the feeling that he had _no idea what was going on_.

“If we could have a moment.” Leo said, tugging insistently at Takumi’s wrist, face unreadable.

Hinoka looked like she was about to argue, when Takumi interjected, “It’s fine.”

He could see the hesitation in her eyes as she looked between the two of them. Then, after a very deliberate pause, she nodded her approval.

“Fine. I’ll tell everyone that we found him.”

And with that Hinoka turned and left, guiding her pegasus by the reigns toward Castle Shirasagi’s main gate.

They dismissed their retainers and Leo pulled Takumi in the other direction, to a more secluded area in the gardens.

They make it under a tree next to a waterfall, where the sound of splashing water could cover their speech and deter eavesdroppers. And Takumi was just thinking of how Leo seemed to have an aptitude for finding areas for private conversation, when Leo’s voice broke the silence between them.

“Don’t _ever_ do that again.”

And Takumi was immediately on the defensive upon hearing the command in Leo’s tone.

“I just needed some fresh air.” He argued, “You haven’t exactly made it easy, being around you.”

Leo turned around, and Takumi was surprised to find that the Nohrian Prince was _livid_.

“Why, because you’ve been _so_ cooperative with me, haven’t you,” he snarled.

“I’m doing my best,” Takumi responded defensively.

“Because running off to god knows where in the middle of the night is _doing your best?_ ”

Takumi sniffed, what was Leo getting at? “I didn’t think you’d miss me so much.”

“Oh I didn’t.” Leo shook his head, as if the mere idea were offensive to him, “But then your siblings demanded to know what I’d done to you when you didn’t show up to breakfast. For the past hour, the entire castle wanted my head.”

Takumi felt his blood freeze and his chest constrict.

“It can’t have been that bad,” Takumi insisted.

“They’ve been sending out search parties,” Leo responded.

And a chill settled into Takumi’s gut, and suddenly there wasn’t enough air in the gardens, enough air _in the world_.

And it was _so bizarre,_ the idea that Leo would get into trouble just because Takumi had taken a little trip out of the castle - hadn’t Hana whacked the shit out of him when they were still children and got off with nothing more than a soft reprimand?

“But why would they blame you? You’re the one who actually _wants_ to make this relationship work!” he argued, voice shaking.

“I’m glad at least you understand that much.” Leo replied acerbically.

But then it occurred to him. Hinoka's words from when she had greeted him.

_And I thought about what you said at lunch the other day - when we’d just dismissed your concerns_

The meal at which, despite everyone else’s positive assessment of the blond, he had insisted that Leo was a _snake in the grass._

And it filled him with a wave of guilt as the weight of reality crashed down upon him. He thought of Ryoma’s warnings, how unequivocally serious his brother was when cautioning Takumi that his spouse may carry malicious intentions. He thought of Hinoka hugging him like he was the most precious thing in the world, reduced to tears with the fear that she would lose another little brother.

He thought of leaving the dining table that day, wondering if his family loved or cared for him at all.

How _stupid_ of him.

So caught up in his petty jealousy that Takumi forgot to think of what was truly important. He had wallowed in feelings of isolation and loneliness, when he lived beside his beloved siblings, taking their love, disregarding it, and then _abusing it_.

Both princes were silent for what seemed like an eternity.

Then Takumi spoke up. “So I’m stuck with you. Shackled to your side until the day I die.”

And somewhere in the sentence his voice broke, until it was soft and malleable with emotion, and Takumi cursed his own weakness.

Leo looked contemplatively at him, and Takumi wondered what he saw, what he must think of Takumi now.

“Not necessarily.” Leo said. “Maybe .. we can work something out.”

 

* * *

 

The trip back to their chambers was a mess of tears and flailing arms as he was harried by dozens of retainers, servants and lords alike, all checking up on his well being. Mikoto sighed, Sakura cried, Oboro was barely able to keep herself together, and all in all it was one of the most humiliating experiences of Takumi’s life. And Takumi had been humiliated _plenty_ growing up.

He has had just about enough as he returned to their shared room, and the second the door closed, he cut to the chase as he addressed the Nohrian prince.

“We’re never going to be friends.” Takumi said.

“We need to make this relationship work, even if you feel that way.” Leo said.

Even if _you_ feel that way.

Leo wouldn’t say he agreed with him, even though Takumi _knew_ he agreed, and Takumi was reminded of why he couldn’t stand Leo in the first place.

He took a deep breath. “Why can’t we just avoid each other?” Takumi asked, even though he knew the answer.

“Because we’d have no way of knowing where the other is, and this whole thing could happen again.”

They’re both silent as they thought of possible solutions.

“What I still don’t understand is how none of our retainers had even realized you were gone.” Leo said in way of a question.

“I left through the window.”

“You left through the _window_.” Leo repeated, voice incredulous. “Takumi, our room is on the _third floor!_ ”

Takumi shrugged. The Fujin Yumi had made it easy, winds caressing his steps until he could scale even the most impassable of ledges. It was only a matter of finding the right footholds, of which there were plenty, given Shirasagi’s tiled rooftops of varying heights.

Leo looked visibly pained as he brought one hand to massage the area between his brows.

“So all we have to do is warn each other before we head out.” Takumi suggested.

“I told your sister I thought you were out hunting.” Leo narrowed his eyes, “That didn’t stop her from almost throttling me.”

Well, that instance was partly Takumi’s fault, but Takumi couldn’t find the courage in him to admit to his mistake. “Then we should leave a note.”

“You’d have us pass messages to one another,” Leo deadpanned, “Like a pair of schoolchildren.”

“If you had my location in writing, nobody would have doubted you.” Takumi argued.

Leo contemplated this, and Takumi became increasingly aware that his proposal solved nothing. They were both circling around the true problem and they both knew it.

And Takumi was sick of it. For better or for worse, one of them would have to bring it up, and he knew Leo would not be the one taking the first step.

“You know what the problem is,” Takumi started. “It’s that I can never believe a word you say.”

Leo raised one perfectly manicured eyebrow in response, as if accusing Takumi of being the paranoid bastard he was.

“It’s just that, I know you’re not like this,” Takumi said, for once not taking the bait. He tried to think back to that first night, the understanding they shared in the privacy of this very room, “There was a moment, back when you were talking about your sister, where you sounded, I don’t know ..”

“Weak,” Leo finished for him.

Takumi blinked in incomprehension. How did Leo reach that conclusion?

“I was going to say .. kind.”

Leo was silent.

_Would you prefer a kind ruler, or a strong one?_

_That’s not the point! Kindness is strength!_  

“So would it kill you to be more honest?” Takumi pleaded, “You can lie to the rest of the world, but don’t lie to _me_.”

“Impossible.” Leo said immediately, with a certainty that surprised Takumi. Sure, Takumi had been expecting resistance, but not outright _refusal_. Then Leo continued, “That would require disclosure of state secrets, and that then becomes an issue of national security. Whatever becomes of our relationship, I am first and foremost a Prince of Nohr, and I could not betray my country in such a way.”

“I’m not asking for anything like that! I just mean that we should be honest to each other when nobody’s around.”

Leo snorted. “The walls have ears,” he said cryptically, “And don’t think I don’t notice your brother’s retainers tracking my movements.”

Saizo and Kagero were tracking Leo?

“I think it’s a fair request.” Takumi argued, “It means that I won’t lie to you either.”

Leo tilted his head in contemplation, “I doubt that. I’m not positive you could lie if you tried.”

Takumi was affronted, “Can to!”

“Perhaps to yourself,” Leo amended.

They didn’t reach an agreement. Takumi left the room feeling like they had achieved nothing.

 

* * *

 

Takumi walked in on his retainers talking. Oboro had that unsightly scowl on her face, and even Hinata looked far from his usual cheery self.

With a shudder, Hinata muttered, “He just looked at me and _licked his lips_.”

They had stood at attention the second they saw Takumi, but that didn’t stop him from wondering who his retainers were talking about.

Then Niles came to deliver a message from Leo and Takumi quickly learned to dread the appearance of the one eyed archer.

“ _Library, whole day. - Leo,_ ” the message read.

Of course he’d be in the library the whole day. The reedy little bookworm still managed to be a rock in Takumi’s slipper, even when they were trying to cooperate with one another.

Takumi sighed flipped the note over. Taking a brush off his desk he penned out his response.

“ _Avoiding you, whole day. - Takumi,_ ” he wrote out of spite.

He handed the note back to Niles, only to find his request refused.

“I was told to ensure that you kept the message,” Niles replied smugly, as if he delighted in Takumi’s frustration.

Takumi scowled and slipped the note back onto his desk. He supposed Niles’ orders made a modicum of sense. In the unlikely event that Takumi’s family went to him while looking for Leo, he would have proof of Leo’s intended whereabouts.

Taking a fresh piece of paper, he meticulously folded and ripped off a small portion, before writing out his message once again. He handed the newly written note to the white haired retainer, only to watch him tilt his head in feigned confusion.

“Oh! Now you want me to take _that_ message to Lord Leo?”

“ _Yes_.”

Niles made no move to take the message, and instead eyed Takumi in amusement.

“Do all Nohrians have to be so hard to work with?” Takumi asked rhetorically.

“Mmm, I think we only get hard when we’re around you, milord~”

Takumi flushed.

He had thought the throwaway line from their first night the exception, not the rule. At the same time it was said that the behavior of retainers reflected on their lord, and though Takumi couldn’t stand Niles, he also found his personality fitting being that he was _Leo’s_ retainer.

Strangely enough Niles seemed perfectly well behaved around his master and Takumi wondered darkly if Niles was harassing him under Leo’s orders.

 

* * *

 

“ _You’re truly insufferable, you know that?_ ” Leo replied on a fresh note, handwriting crisp from the workings of his metal tipped quill.

And Takumi did a double take.

It was an insult.

It was _an insult!_

And it was ridiculous, to take pride in being ridiculed, but Takumi did so anyway. It was the first time since that fateful night that Leo had acknowledged the tension between them, and instead trying to be the better man, he had given his true opinion of Takumi. It was once again proof that Leo was human underneath it all, that he too held resentments for Takumi and their loveless arrangement.

Takumi could understand this Leo. And if this was Leo’s honest opinion, then Takumi could respect that.

His happiness toward the new development was short lived.

“Aww~ How cute,” Niles cooed.

Takumi blinked, and felt the smile that had crept up his face drop with Niles’ remark.

He couldn’t rationalize why Niles found it necessary to linger even after the message was delivered, and now he was staring at Takumi, as if undressing him with his gaze.

“Weren’t you going to leave?”

“Mmm.” The man hummed, “I _was_ , but now that I’ve had a taste of your attentions, I’m insatiable in my desire for _more_.”

“Well I have no use for you now!”

Takumi tried to ignore the heat that crept up his face as he picked up his bow and continued shooting at the archery range.

So focused he was on trying to _ignore_ Niles that he didn’t notice the man creeping up on him until he’d licked the shell of Takumi’s ear, and then Takumi startled so bad that he dropped his bow and almost fell over onto a nearby quiver of arrows.

 

* * *

 

“Can’t you do something about Niles?” Takumi hissed, rushing to the library. “Or send the half-naked blond in his stead?”

“It’s not your business how I allocate my retainers,” Leo said with a frown, before replying diplomatically, “But I will keep your preferences in mind.”

An impartial response that indicated that Leo wasn’t planning on changing anything, either because he genuinely didn’t care, or because this was his form of petty vengeance.

“He _licked_ me,” Takumi argued.

Leo shrugged, “Maybe he likes you.”

Takumi gaze turned incredulous. Did Leo think he was _joking?_ He was always the one telling Takumi to take their relationship seriously!

“It’s damaging to the image we’re trying to create!”

Leo snorted, “And Oboro’s glares at me aren’t?”

“She’s not nearly that bad!!”

Leo shut the book he had been reading, “She needs to learn to control her facial expressions.”

And Takumi could _feel_ himself losing his temper, at Leo’s nerve to say such a thing when he knew _nothing_ of Oboro’s family and how she would work deep into the night, simple tasks like sewing or cleaning simply because she couldn’t _sleep_ . Sweet and kind Oboro, who served him dutifully regardless of her personal tragedy. Who was more suited to a tailor’s life of reviewing embroidery and lace, but was forced onto the path of the spear for reasons outside her control, and Takumi was unable to hold back as he lashed out, “Because _you_ would know what it’s like, to have your parents murdered by Nohrians.”

And Leo’s face breaks, and Takumi blinked with the realization that King Garon was dead, and he was very sure that he had not seen Leo’s mother at their wedding.

“Yes. In fact, I would.” Leo declared, with an air of finality.

And his voice was clipped unmistakably with hurt, and he scrambled to get up, to physically _leave_ Takumi’s company.

And Takumi was reminded of the reason that they started exchanging notes in the first place - for the two of them to tolerate each other’s existence was to ask for a miracle.

 

* * *

 

But he tolerated Leo nonetheless. He had no choice but to do so.

Their interactions were kept to the bare minimum after that, and even as they return to the same room every night, their companionship broken only when they bathe separately (Leo seemed to have a strange preference of bathing alone, in the dead of night), they managed to avoid talking to one another. Out of anger, out of hurt, who knew?

But there were things they could not avoid. Leo became a constant in Takumi’s life, should he like it or not, and Takumi was stuck watching his every action, even as he wanted nothing more than to be left alone.

It was in the way that for every report Takumi wrote, Leo wrote two. The way that Leo would sleep late and look exhausted, as if he were running Nohr’s government from across the continent.

For all his genius, he may well be.

And Takumi started to obsess over suppressing his nightmares. With someone like Leo around, sleep had never seemed more like the enemy.

His nights became dreamless, but he awoke anxious. And that anxiety haunted his thoughts, as if warning of the day that he would not wake at all.

It was suffocating him, and given that he could not run away, the only solution he could think of was to talk to someone about it.

Both Ryoma and Hinoka were out of the question, especially after they had needlessly overreacted to Takumi’s trip outside the castle, and he couldn’t bring himself to burden Sakura or his mother with his problems.

There was really only one choice, but when he went to see Azura, he found her moving her belongings about, most of her worldly possessions already packed into large boxes stacked neatly on one side of the room.

He blinked in shock.

“I will be departing in two days, to be an ambassador to Nohr,” Azura said in way of explanation.

“W-what?!” Takumi blurted out in disbelief. “You said you wouldn’t return!”

“Correct, I consider Hoshido my home now. I will not return to being a Princess of Nohr,” Azura explained, “But… I did promise Princess Elise that I would visit. This just seemed to be the best way to do so.”

“When was this?!” Takumi exclaimed, unable to believe he had heard nothing on this arrangement.

“During the feast after your wedding,” Azura answered, before furrowing her brow. “Oh.” She blinked with realization, “I believe you and Prince Leo had left the room during the discussion.”

Takumi found that he couldn’t form words. A silence fell between them.

Azura tilted her head to better examine his face. “Did you … want to talk, Takumi?

“Forget it,” he huffed. No point bothering Azura with his troubles.

In hindsight it was probably a good thing he didn’t say anything. She probably knew what it was like to be foreign royalty in Hoshido and Takumi couldn’t see her sympathizing with his cause.

 

* * *

 

Takumi was there to see her off, for whatever his problems, he wasn’t so callous as to neglect her. As he gave her a final hug before she departed with the Nohrian entourage, he thought ungraciously that he hoped she hated it there so that she could come back soon.

Leo was especially sober that day, though he remained stoic even as Princess Elise sobbed into his chest as they parted.

“Write to us, okay Leo?” she said in between sniffles.

“Of course,” he replied.

 

* * *

 

After that, Takumi continued to spend a disproportionate amount of time at the archery range, and only attended meetings either when Leo wasn’t present, or when absolutely necessary. Sleeping across a bed from the man he hated was hard enough without having to spend more time with him during the day.

So it came as a surprise when one day Leo confronted him during lunch, and told him that they were scheduled to head on a mission towards Hoshido’s southern border, in an effort to spread goodwill.

“Why didn’t anyone tell me?” Takumi asked, indignant. First Azura, now this. It was starting to feel like he was the last to know about anything.

“Well, maybe if you were at the morning briefing, you would have known.” Leo responded, voice carefully neutral, if slightly passive aggressive.

Takumi was seconds away from launching himself at the Nohrian prince and only the watchful gaze of the exhibitionist mage behind Leo held him back.

“Don’t slow me down,” Takumi said, as he left to pack.

 

* * *

 

They leave in a carriage at dawn, and Takumi spent most of the ride lost in thought. It was the first time he’d left Shirasagi in ages, and as they got further and further away from the castle, the Hoshidan landscape became more and more rural. He’d never seen so many endless fields of rice paddies and spring crops, decorated with peasants going about their day watering and planting and weeding. And where farmland ended, the land was fresh and wild, with lush grasses and open forests that yearned to be explored.

He tried not to get nervous over the idea that it was his first mission away from home. He’d been considered too young for such things in the past, and to think that he had thought for a time, that the first time would leave Shirasagi would be when he was sent off to war.

It would have been a wholly pleasant ride, if not for the company he had to keep.

Leo slept for most of the ride, probably because the movements of the carriage made it an unsuitable space for reading, but the second he woke up, he was preparing for the specifics of their upcoming mission.

“We need to devise a strategy.” Leo said, “If we’re going to be at the center of attention, and our objective is to spread more goodwill towards Nohr, we need to make it seem that you do more than just tolerate my existence.”

And Takumi had to restrain himself from starting an argument, because even he could see that would be needlessly counterproductive at this point.

Takumi sighed. “What do you want me to do?”

“I propose that we -” Leo paused dramatically. “- hold hands.”

Takumi just stared at him.

“I’ve never seen anyone hold hands in court,” he said, after a beat.

Leo narrowed his eyes suspiciously. “This is not the best time for you to decide against cooperating with me.”

“No, no,” Takumi backtracked, “It’s true. I don’t know if it’s just different in Nohr?”

Leo considered this, and Takumi could practically see Leo’s mind at work, reviewing his experiences in the past few weeks, “Not even married couples?”

“Nope.”

“Then maybe…If we show up with evidence of nighttime activities...” Leo wondered out loud, “Like the presence of lovemarks or-”

Takumi thought of Leo, head detaching and mouth latching onto Takumi’s neck like some sort of nukekubi.

“ _No,_ ” Takumi insisted, with feeling.

Leo didn’t object, so the feeling of distaste must have been mutual.

“Then how do you show that you’re a couple in Hoshido?” Leo asked.

Takumi wrinkled his nose. What a ridiculous question. Who knew something as universal as _love_ could be misinterpreted across the chasm. Or maybe it was just Leo. Gods knew if he had ever loved anything.

“Being together? Enjoying each other’s company?” Takumi offered.

Leo contemplated this. “Alright, then let's find conversation topics that we can agree on.”

They’re both silent for a very long time.

“The weather,” Takumi said.

Leo narrowed his eyes, “Forgive me if I find Hoshido’s sunlight overbearingly bright, and an overtly unpleasant topic to speak about.”

There’s a pause, and Takumi sighed. Of course Leo hated sunlight, and it would not surprise Takumi if he preferred the darkness carried alongside heavy rain and thunderstorms. And then the Nohrians wondered why they were starving with dying crops and poisoned soil. How idiotic.

“Pets,” Leo suggested.

“I don’t see the appeal of keeping animals for pleasure.” Takumi replied.

And then they both sigh.

“Holding hands then,” Takumi conceded. A simple physical gesture would be much easier to pull off than agreeing ideologically with anything Leo said.

 

* * *

 

Their destination was a fairly rural town along Hoshido’s southern border, a popular trading spot on the intersection of lands occupied by a series of lesser feudal lords. It was remote enough that they likely felt little influence from the machinations of the capital and so close to the border that Takumi could see the dense forests of Mokushu in the distance.

There were people of every class here, from local farmers and traveling merchants, to the lords in their many ornamented carriages, lined up one after the other in the town center. It seemed that many a man of varying importance, who had either not attended or had not been invited to the festivities at Shirasagi had gathered just to meet the newlyweds.

He and Leo were given the best rooms the local inn could afford, even as Takumi found the accommodations painfully small and typical of rural town. He wasn’t one to complain, but as they squeezed together on a scratchy too-small bed, Takumi found himself missing the castle’s extravagance. Leo too, shifted uncomfortably, but did not say a word.

But while their bedroom relations were chilly, they held hands when they appeared in public, sat next to each other during their meals, and otherwise spent an inordinate amount of time together in a display of unity.

There was a small banquet held in their honor, and they met with the local lords to discuss things that Takumi couldn't care to remember. What he _did_ remember, was the feeling of Leo’s hand as the Nohrian Prince interlaced their fingers, and how Leo smiled at him with a smile so insincere Takumi wanted to tear it from his face.

He had to physically repress his disdain to return the gesture the best he could.

But conversation remained pleasant throughout the day, and soon enough the banquet was over, and Takumi found himself sighing in relief as they finally retreated into a corridor, still close to the festivities but outside the public eye.

“Well, that went well enough,” he commented under his breath.

“You weren’t convincing at all.” Leo immediately responded.

Takumi was affronted, “I did my part! Holding your hand the entire time. Smiling. Laughing.”

Leo didn’t look at him. “You acted as though you were married to a wyvern.”

Takumi pointedly gave Leo a once over. “Perhaps an ugly one.”

Leo turned, irritated and suddenly serious, “Do you not realize how important this is? We need to be able to sell our relationship.”

“Well, sorry if I can’t convince you.”

“That’s just the point.” Leo responded, with no small amount of derision, “What hope do you have of convincing _anyone else_ that we’re in love when you can’t even convince _me?_ ”

And there was something about the statement that made Takumi so blisteringly mad that he could feel himself _physically seeing red_ . The insinuation that Takumi didn’t take their positions seriously, that even at his best, Takumi just _wasn’t good enough_.

And it was like a set of floodgates opened, and all the bubbling resentment he’d been feeling from the past few weeks all rushed out at once. Before Takumi’s even realized it, he had a hand raised to strike the blond.

“Prince Takumi. Prince Leo?” came the unmistakable voice of some stray noble, footsteps growing louder as they walked closer to the two princes.

And the voice pulled Takumi back to reality, to the world where he and Leo were avatars for their countries, where they were desperately trying to pull off the charade of being married and in love, so to end the longstanding feud between their nations.

And Takumi slowly, tentatively, lowered his hand, and it landed to cup the other prince’s face just as the noble came into view. Then on wicked impulse, he pulled the blond down and pressed a kiss to his mouth.

He was probably doing it wrong, but he brushed that concern away to focus on Leo’s lips, unexpectedly soft against his own and tasting faintly of mint. He vaguely heard someone startle behind them, but Takumi was frankly too mad to care.

Then he drew back, eyes burning with a newfound fire.

“Fine. So be it.” He whispered, only to twist around and plaster on his friendliest smile, as if their exchange had never taken place, silently smug at Leo’s lack of answer.

Something about what Leo had said made Takumi realize that he’d been going about their relationship wrong this entire time.

He had focused all his energy on trying to break Leo’s facade, on getting past Leo’s perfectly crafted exterior as a charming prince and a perfect spouse. He had thought that things would somehow be better if Leo would just stop acting and acknowledge the fact that they could never be friends. And by Leo’s concession, Takumi could be justified in his anger.

But he was so so wrong. So caught up in his anger and jealousy, he had been blinded to the core of the issue - that all he really wanted was to show Leo up. For all his detestable methods and false smiles, the man found a way to endear himself to others, and it was his excellence that drove Takumi to the point of madness.

The solution then, was not to strike a compromise, but to give Leo a taste of his own medicine.

Takumi would never stoop to his means, to becoming a different person to appease the expectations of his friends and family. But he _could_ play his part in this unholy charade, to feign the emotions of love and understanding, until even Leo was convinced that they were actually in a happy and wholesome relationship.

After all, what better way to defeat the Nohrian prince, than to beat him at his own game?

And Takumi could barely contain his anticipation, for the moment when he had Leo breathlessly in love with him and at his mercy, when he would _tear Leo’s heart apart_ with the realization that it had been a lie all along.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Takumi is a pleasure to write: I never have to create problems for him! I just let him go and he just creates problems for himself! :D
> 
> (Instead I cry as I throw solutions at him, and he rejects them one by one.)
> 
> Also, the biggest shoutout to [caecily](http://archiveofourown.org/users/caecily/pseuds/caecily) and [arkieff](http://archiveofourown.org/users/arkieff/pseuds/arkieff) for their amazing work betaing. They are incredible people and I don't know what I'd do without them. (>A<)/<3


	3. Countless lives, intertwined

“Your face is terrifying, milord,” Hinata said. “And I work with Oboro, so trust me when I say your face is _really_ terrifying!”

Oboro elbowed him. Hinata went down with a whimper.

“Lord Takumi, is everything alright?” she asked, her voice laced with worry.

“Never been better,” Takumi bit out.

But his mind was whirring with all sorts of ideas, plans, and strategies, even as he led them out of the banquet hall, Leo and his set of retainers following close behind.

Takumi reviewed the battlefield - as that was what this was, a war where they fought not with blades but with words, found victory in affections gained, defeat in heartbreak, humiliation. His inexperience with such warfare was his disadvantage, but he was fighting on home ground, where his familiarity with Hoshido’s land and people went unmatched, no matter the scope of Leo’s studies.

An opportunity would come, and Takumi would _seize_ it.

He’d never given romance much of a thought before. Growing up, he’d heard the stories of love and seduction and intimacy, of stolen passions between the fall of night and the brink of day, but they had seemed so unimportant back then. Maybe he just hadn’t been at the age that people were meant to fall in love. But now he was older and wiser, and fairly fit at that, he just needed to play his cards right, and then Leo would definitely notice him!

Not that Takumi wanted Leo to notice him. Or he did, but only so that he could manipulate Leo’s feelings later.

It was complicated.

But for now, Hinata and Oboro were shooting him looks of increasing concern, so Takumi took a breath and tried to school his face into something less malicious.

Sunset was fast approaching, but the waning daylight didn't deter the locals, who crowded the streets filled with stands of food and makeshift stages, where masked performers danced to the beat of shamisen and various bamboo clappers. It seemed that the festivities surrounding their arrival had been extended to all the townspeople, regardless of class or occupation.

And yet despite all the commotion, there was a simplicity here, a freshness to the breeze that smelled only of dusk and delicious foods, that raised the spirit and lightened the heart.

Only then did Takumi realize how hungry he was. They had technically just attended a banquet, but the overall formality of the event, in combination with having to watch as Leo schmoozed with the local lords, had left Takumi’s stomach in knots.

But now his appetite had fully returned and he tugged Leo insistently towards the smells, hoping to glimpse some of what made up the local flavor. It reminded him a little of his outings with Sakura, how they would admire the street food in Shirasagi as they went out to shop for sweets.

But the atmosphere here was different, with the people unaccustomed to sightings of royalty. What started as half muttered questions and curious gazes became a wave of exclamations when the crowd recognized them. Then all at once the locals parted for them, as if in awe.

Takumi blushed from the attention, but tried to maintain a facade of normalcy. Beside him, Leo frowned and appeared to be preoccupied with watching the crowd, even as Takumi browsed the variety of different street foods.

It was irritating, Takumi decided, how even now Leo could not be bothered to give Takumi his full attention, but Takumi pushed the feeling aside to talk to a street vendor about his wares.

What started as a simple question of _what would you recommend?_ quickly devolved into a one sided conversation as the overenthusiastic vendor detailed various ingredients native to the area, how no other shop in Hoshido had the same style of seasoning, nor the same attention to detail. Many minutes later, Takumi hoped his exasperation didn’t show as he smiled and ordered as suggested.

“Here. Try some of this,” Takumi offered, turning to Leo as he was handed half a dozen of different foods.

“I’m not hungry,” Leo responded with a shake of his head.

How frustrating. If Leo didn’t like their food, he could just say so.

But it was sort of strange, because Takumi was pretty sure Leo hadn’t eaten much either, what with all his talking and scheming earlier. Unfortunately for Leo, Takumi’s suspicions were quickly confirmed when Leo’s stomach growled - loudly.

“Maybe I could tolerate a few bites.” Leo conceded, lips firmly pressed together and a light pink dusting his cheeks.

Takumi snorted.

But then an idea came to him as he looked between Leo and the crowd. Carefully, Takumi reached out to hand Leo a skewer of fried squid.

Leo reached out to take it, only for Takumi to pull his hand away at the last second.

“Nuh uh,” he hummed in playful disapproval, “Let me feed you.”

Leo blinked in shock and stilled for a moment before his expression turned into an outright _glare_.

Takumi couldn’t help the grin that broke out over his face. Leo had always been so dignified, in action and in word. And yet here, surrounded by commoners watching their every move, if Leo really wished to keep up their charade as a loving couple -

“If you insist, _darling_ ,” Leo gritted out, before bending down to swipe a piece meat off the skewer with a dainty nip of teeth and a flash of pink tongue.

Takumi smirked, then took a bite himself. The meat was delicious, seasoned perfectly with a blend of spices Takumi had never tasted before. But if he had to decide, the best flavor was the side of Leo’s indignation.

Takumi’s mood only improved further as they continued down the street.

“Oh, and there are so many more stands to try, I can’t wait!”

 

* * *

 

“I would appreciate if you’d inform me before pulling something like that,” Leo hissed the second they were back at the inn and out of public view. They had passed by over two dozen stalls, and Leo had grown more and more agitated by the bite.

“It was a brilliant idea, don’t you think?” Takumi asked, trying and failing to hide his amused smile, “Very couple-y.”

Leo’s lips thinned with disapproval. “Perhaps. But still, some warning would've been nice.”

Takumi huffed, because where was the fun in that?

And surprisingly, that was what it was. Their afternoon together had been _fun_ , in a strange, playful way. He hasn’t had this much fun since he was a kid, back when he was both mischievous and stubborn, head filled with ideas and body with boundless energy. He wasn’t supposed to be playing games anymore, now that he was fully grown and embracing his responsibilities as a prince.

It helped that friendliness seemed to drop Leo’s guard more than any of his animosity ever could. He couldn’t recall Leo ever looking so flustered before, as if the last thing Leo had expected was Takumi’s goodwill.

But that gave Takumi another idea. There was a building he saw earlier that he remembered being surprised by, simply because this was such a remote town. But if he’d understood Leo’s habits correctly...

“Fine fine. So we plot our romantic misadventures beforehand.” Takumi conceded, “Speaking of which, you know what else we could do?”

Leo looked understandably reluctant to respond, but then a minute passed and it seemed his practicality won out. “What.”

“We can bathe together,” he offered, “I’ll even wash your back!”

Leo jerked back, “No.”

Bullseye.

It was strange, the Nohrian aversion to public bathing and nakedness in general. Or perhaps it was just Leo. It was hard imagining someone so high strung taking the time to relax and soak in an onsen.

“But what would the people think? Seeing a married couple unable to get along for long enough to share a relaxing soak?” Takumi teased.

“They won’t _know_.” Leo hissed, “Because we’ll be drawing private baths.”

Leo huffed away seemingly to do just that, and Takumi let out a chuckle in satisfaction. If he’d know earlier that Leo was so easy to rile up, he would have played at being lovers ages ago.

Later, as they were getting ready to settle in for the night, Takumi boldly laid down right in the middle of their too small bed.

Leo glared at him from his place beside a makeshift desk.

“How about cuddling?” Takumi teased.

“We'd swelter from the heat.” Leo deadpanned.

“Eh, not if we ditch our sleepwear.” Takumi said, smirking.

Leo’s gaze told him that he would rather _die_.

Then he seemed to compose himself, and took a slow but pointed glance around the room. When he spoke again, his tone shifted to something more serious. “There’s nobody else around Prince Takumi, there’s no need for you to act that way.”

 _Prince_ Takumi now. As if Leo was trying to reestablish the barriers between the two of them, while talking down to him at the same time.

“Well, _you’re_ still here.”

Leo narrowed his eyes, “Don’t be obstinate.”

“Wasn’t this what you wanted?” Takumi sneered, and there was no hiding the malice in his voice now.

Leo looked like he had _many_ objections to that statement, but after several minutes of contemplation, gave a deep sigh and said nothing.

 

* * *

 

The next day, they were given their official tour of the area. It was beautifully sunny, which raised Takumi’s spirits, though true to his word, Leo seemed to be squinting a lot more than usual.  

Overall, it was an uneventful affair. They met with many a townsperson and exchanged the necessary pleasantries, with lots of introductions and bowing and _nice to meet yous_. Occasionally there was a person who tried to strike up some light conversation, and though Takumi was overcome with nervousness, he managed to ramble about something the other until the person in question left him alone.

Leo on the other hand, remained kind and charming if a bit subdued and less outgoing. Yet he still managed to amuse the locals, a witty comment here and a keen observation there had him earning quite a few smiles from his conversation partners. If Leo was out of his element talking to them, he didn’t show it.

The day passed quickly and unremarkably until it was almost noon, when Takumi felt his pants snag and turned to see that a little hand had grabbed the baggy cloth of his archer’s uniform, the little girl it belonged to staring up at him with inquisitive eyes.

He found himself surprised, because it was the first child he’d seen today. He quickly heard a mortified gasp from nearby, but waved the woman who seemed to be the mother away with a lighthearted laugh.

He smiled, and crouched down so he was eye level with the child.

“Hey there!” he greeted playfully.

Her eyes glittered, looking starstruck as she spoke to him. Apparently she’d approached because she’d never seen someone with such long hair before. Takumi found himself laughing, charmed by her curiosity and the way she saw things the way only children could. He wondered if he’d ever been like that before, looking on in awe at his brother, in all his strength and majesty. Perhaps there was a time, in the days before every passing comment seemed to compare the two princes.

He shook the intruding thought away and replaced it with a smirk, as he offered to show her a cool trick. He pulled Fujin Yumi off his back and presented it before her, and as she touched the cool metal, he condensed the winds around them to form a single glowing bowstring. The girl startled, before laughing in delight as she lightly stroked along the ethereal light.

Faintly, he heard the crowd around them gasp and had to restrain a smile. His bow had always managed to be an object of admiration, even when its wielder was nothing special.

Demonstration completed, the little girl giggled as she skipped away. Her hair was mussed by the Fujin’s whirling winds, and in her bouncing, her single pigtail fell apart, dark hair drifting down and pink ribbon falling to the ground.

Takumi blinked, and went to grab it, but Leo was closer.

“Oh. You dropped this,” Leo said, having snatched the fallen ribbon from midair. He leaned forward, patiently reaching out to return it.

The child blinked in joy, and turned to take it. But not half a step into the motion, a woman bodily threw herself in front of the child, and grabbed her by the waist.

“Mama!” The little girl squeaked, shocked and frightened.

Wordlessly, the mother pulled her child away from Leo, a hunted look in her eyes.

Takumi blinked.

 

* * *

 

Leo gave the ribbon to a nearby shopkeeper with a bow and an apology. The shopkeeper promised to perform the delivery in Leo’s stead, and Leo turned and continued on his way, as if the incident had never happened.

But Takumi couldn’t get the woman’s eyes out of his mind, his veins running cold with secondhand fear.

He had thought everything was going well, that against all expectations, everyone had accepted Leo as prince and ally. What had changed?

He would ask Leo about it, but Leo was unmovable in his stoicism. But it didn’t matter in the end, as Takumi had a feeling he already knew the answer.

They retired early that day.

The second they reached their quarters, Leo complained of being covered in dirt and sweat, and left to get a bath, despite it being fairly early in the afternoon. Takumi didn’t call him out on his behavior, and instead sat in their room, blessedly alone, and contemplated his next move.

He had grown used to distancing himself from others, brushing people off with a complaint of _I’m busy_ or cutting conversations short with an _I have things to do_. His shyness in childhood had never left him, maturing in a nervousness when meeting strangers and an inability to make unnecessary conversation. But this wasn’t a situation he could ignore. No matter how daunting the task, one of his duties as prince was to take care of his people, and whatever was wrong, he would need to find out. Leo certainly wasn’t going to do anything about it, and if he truly wanted to upstage the Nohrian prince, he would have to leave his comfort zone.

And he was feeling unusually bold after that declaration the other day. Thinking about it another way, it was sort of like reconnaissance. If it could yield information Takumi could use against Leo, he needed no other motivation.

He changed into a more casual kimono, so to blend in with the crowd, and donned something of a hood to cover up his hair. At the last minute he also remembered to write a note, so that Leo would be aware of his whereabouts.

Then he grabbed Oboro, and left.

 

* * *

 

It felt different when he went out alone, though Takumi could not pin down why. He went to the shop they had last visited, and the shopkeeper, who had just been closing up, stood stiffly at attention when Takumi greeted him. He’d relaxed when Takumi simply asked after the woman he’d seen earlier, and apologized to him for her rudeness.  

She’d passed by earlier, he explained, and picked up the ribbon.

“Your highness, there’s no need to worry about ‘er.” he concluded.

“But I want to make things right,” Takumi said with a small shake of his head, “She had looked so scared. I don’t want anyone to have to feel that way when I’m around.”

The shopkeeper’s face trembled, before he was all but bursting out. “I-it’s not you, your highness!”

Takumi blinked. He vaguely noticed that the crowd around them was whispering now, as if realizing who he was and keeping a close eye on their exchange.

“What did Prince Leo do?” he asked.

The man took a sharp intake of breath, “Look - I, I didn’t say nothin’.”

“You don’t have to -” Takumi started, “I just- … If he’s done anything, you tell me, and I’ll set him straight.”

“No, he’s done nothin’,” the man reassured, “It’s just that, he’s one of _them_ , ya kno’?”

Except the man had spat the word _them_ , like it had been poison to his mouth.

And Takumi’s breath caught in his throat as it dawned on him that perhaps he hadn’t know his people as well as he thought he did.

It was logical for the people to hate Nohrians, and for them to despise Leo by association. And yet it surprised Takumi that it wasn’t Leo who had to bear the brunt of the people’s disdain. Instead, it was a quiet, inconspicuous hatred that was shown to Takumi alone, leaving him scared, speechless, and powerless in the face of his own ignorance.

He wanted to say something, to correct the man somehow. The _whole reason_ he was sent here was to spread goodwill towards Nohr, and yet now that he was put on the spot, he couldn’t find the words to do so.

“Can you tell me where I could find her?” he asked instead.

He followed the shopkeeper’s directions and found himself walking along untamed countryside, its streets narrow and unpaved, lined with the houses of craftsmen and manual laborers. He hadn’t been shown this side of the town during their tour and wondered if that had been intentional.

It was a humbling sight, to say the least. Of course he’d heard of the various occupations that were scattered through the ranks of the peasantry, but it was humbling all the same, watching women working the loom in their houses, farmers tending to crops in the field, and laborers lifting heavy sacks of various grains into carts for shipment.

It was one thing to respect the food they ate, and another to see men wading in threadbare kimonos and toiling under the hot sun. To look at a man wielding a hammer and chisel, and realize that the masonry of Shirasagi was once a stonecutter’s life’s work.

And he’d hoped to simply observe without distraction, only to find that his disguise wasn’t working, or perhaps it was Oboro’s presence at his side that gave him away. But before long he felt gazes on his back in every direction, even as he tried to blend in by pretending to browse makeshift racks of drying leather.

“Y-your highness, can I help you?” an elderly man asked, putting aside the cured hides he had been attending to.

“O-oh.” Caught in the act, Takumi fumbled for a suitable response, “I’m a hunter myself, and I was just admiring your handiwork!”

And it was like the vendor with the squid all over again, as the man’s face lit up and he went into an extremely detailed description of what he was doing. Takumi had been familiar with the basics, but the passion with which the man spoke moved Takumi in a way he hadn’t expected. It dawned on him that a task that Takumi had thought unbefitting of himself was the livelihood of this tanner. That there were so many more people like this, barely able to scrape out a living, while he lived in luxury without thought of hunger or thirst.

“T-that’s amazing.” Takumi could form no other words, filled with admiration for this man.

The man gave a bashful smile, “Aw shucks. It’s nothing much.”

He tried to think of something else to say, but he felt so out of his depth here.

“I’m surprised we didn’t get to see stuff like this on our tour of the village,” he managed, “I’m sure Prince Leo would love to learn more of this stuff too.”

“Leo? That’s his name?” To his surprise, the man’s face darkened, and suddenly it was as if he was a completely different person to the cheerful man from before, “Like I’d do anything for him, that Nohrian filth.”

And the _sheer venom_ in the man’s voice took Takumi aback.

The shock must have shown on his face, because the man was quick to correct himself, “Er! I-I mean - I mean no disrespect, your highness!”

“No,” Takumi said, empathetically, “Did something happen? I … I’d like to know.”

The man had lost his wife and kids to the war, and had to move here against his will when Nohrian bandits attacked his village. Takumi’s mouth went dry and his lips felt wooden as he praised the man’s bravery, and thanked him for his sacrifice.

Their eyes met, and Takumi became overly aware of the texture of the man’s skin - reminding him of well worn leather, darkened from hours toiling under the sun. His unkept beard, an uneven tangle on his face dotted with the beginnings of white and grey.

And at Takumi’s words, the man’s eyes moistened with liquid until suddenly he turned away, his face in one hand and desperately trying to hold back tears.

And with that motion, it was as if a floodgate had been opened. Beside him, a farmer who overheard their conversation started to tell Takumi about his uncle, who had gone off to defend their village and never returned. Another’s brother fell when Faceless invaded their home. More still, had to bury their children - both those too young to fight and those sent on the battlefield to die.

And Takumi was shaken by how genuinely _upset_ these people were. Their grief so overwhelming that Takumi had no idea what to do, what to say.

Why were they telling him these things? He couldn’t bring the dead back to life, couldn’t do a thing to change the past. Instead, he found himself handing out all forms of empty platitudes - soft whispers of _I’m sorry_ and _Hoshido honors your loss_.

He couldn’t even do that right. He didn’t even remember what he said to one woman, before she and her whole family were all over him, until he was engulfed by bodies and had to settle for awkwardly patting the jumble of heads and arms as five people sobbed on him as one.

They didn’t do this to Leo. They smiled when they talked to him. Leo hadn’t made anyone cry.

Gods. He wished he could just do one thing right.

He found himself on the brink of tears, looking at these villagers, trying harder than even him to hide their disdain for Nohrians.

To think that he had previously thought of these people as a way to get back at Leo. That he could use their affections to prove himself the better prince. These people who were more than willing to open their hearts to him and enthusiastically welcome him to their lives, even when Takumi was borderline unfriendly at best. He wondered what they thought of him, how disgusted and disrespected they must have felt, when they saw him flirting with Leo on the streets.

And when the conversation turned to him, he found that his judgement was spot on.

“So you too have been taken by the Nohrian’s promises?” one elderly woman asked him.  There was no anger in her voice, just sadness.

“Yeah, I saw you’re really enamored with the Nohrian Prince, huh,” another added.

“We thought it was just a political move, but you guys have been quite the pair of lovers.”

He opened his mouth but the words he wanted to say were stuck to the back of his throat.

He knew how he was _supposed_ to respond, how Ryoma or someone more professional and mature would have responded, to tell them that _no one made me, I agreed to the arrangement for the good of our countries_ , and then spout some line about peace between their nations and striving for change, waxing poetic on Leo’s virtues and hope for the future. But what came out was,

“N-no. It’s nothing like that!” he denied, “I don’t. I don’t love him. I don’t even _like_ him.”

It struck him, how absurd it was, to think of their relationship in a _romantic_ manner. To think that he wanted to _seduce_ Leo, if only to break his heart. Where had he even gotten that idea? Their marriage had been a formality, a sort of ritual, a union for their country’s sakes. One of its greatest advantages was so that he could take a concubine of his choice later! Not to mention, Takumi had never seduced a single person _in his life!_

But Leo had always been the one pushing for romantic involvement: first insinuating that they were to consummate their marriage the night of their wedding, then suggesting that they hold hands and appear as a couple when appearing in public.

And now Takumi was _flirting with Leo on the streets!_ And _enjoying_ himself while he did so! How mortifying!

Takumi hadn’t given it much thought earlier, but wasn’t Leo the one who had everything to gain from being in a monogamous relationship - so that Leo could command Takumi’s loyalty, so to use him for favors in court and to endear himself to the public?

And Takumi had been so wrapped up in Leo’s pace that he thought he was making Leo fall in love with him! He wondered if Leo had been playing him this whole time - his anger, his frustrations, all of it.

 _Stupid._ He was so stupid!!

When had he become so obsessed with Leo that he could see nothing else?

 _He wasn’t supposed to be playing games anymore, now that he was embracing his responsibilities as a prince!_ To think he thought the world so small that it could be used to cater to his resentments and his desire for revenge. That his actions did not influence the perception of so many people, that looked up to him and watched his every move.

“We’re trying to just .. get along,” he said at last, and watched as the crowd of people around him stared at him in shock. “Some of us are just better at hiding our resentment than others.”

He regretted his words almost immediately. Because despite everything that had happened, he was supposed to be getting along with Leo! He’d just admitted their act was a lie, in front of all these people no less! He practically just said it was okay to hate Nohrians, when the whole purpose of being sent to this village was to spread goodwill!

“But … I think you can trust Leo,” he added, trying to mitigate the damage his honesty had caused, “He’s a bit standoffish, but doesn’t have any ill intent. He wants peace just as much as the next person.”

And it weighed on him, how these people looked at him as if he were on some sort of god forsaken pedestal, taking every word he said to heart.

And here he was, unworthy of being their prince.

 

* * *

 

Something had changed come morning when he made his rounds again, this time with Leo by his side. The people were bolder, approaching him instead of shying away. Which by itself wasn’t a problem, but then many of them started coming to give him things for no apparent reason. As if he was hosting some sort of donation drive that everyone had known about except for him.

“I heard about what you said the other day. We are so blessed to have a prince who understands the feelings of his people,” one woman said, while giving him a large basket of fruit.

“Because for a while I had thought that Hoshido’s royalty had forgotten its people’s pain. I was wrong, and I apologize.” another man said, with a respectful bow and a gift of pickled vegetables.

“It means a lot to see someone I admire trying so hard!” A little kid said, his smile showing the gap where he must have recently lost a tooth, “It makes me feel like I need to try harder too!”

And then before he knew it, he had dozens of small pouches of lucky amulets from the local women, finely embroidered with flowers and words of fortune. Then there were the gifts of sweets and all forms of handmade foodstuffs, and boxes full of things he could not even begin to guess at, carefully wrapped in colorful _furoshiki_. Children took turns coming up to him and presenting handfuls of freshly picked flowers, offering to braid them into his hair. One over enthusiastic fisherman almost slapped him in the face with a flounder.

Why was this happening to him.

They didn’t harass Leo like this! They left Leo alone. What the hell!

The overwhelming response was so bizarre that Takumi wondered if they pitied him because he’d been so emotional the day before. That because they were his people, and him their liege that they were somehow beholden to his feelings.

It felt absurd to him that they they felt this need to comfort him, when it should have been _his_ responsibility to comfort _them_. A responsibility the he had failed at.

And this display of kindness only made his burden heavier, as if he could _never_ be good enough to repay them for having so much faith in him.

As if to rub salt into the wound, Leo chose that moment to speak up.

"They love you." he observed.

And somehow, coming from Leo, the mockery was just too much.

"I get it, okay?!" Takumi snapped, "You don't have to keep mentioning it!"

Leo looked at him warily and didn’t respond.

 

* * *

 

He kept trying, but even his best just wasn’t good enough. A week passed, and the villagers hadn’t seemed to warm up to Leo any - their words polite and cheerful, but their glares when they thought Takumi couldn’t see speaking volumes more.

It was just _so difficult_ , seeing these people in all their grief, and then essentially having to tell them that it was time to move on. How Leo kept up his cold indifference in the face of all that, Takumi didn’t know.

It came to a head one sunny morning, when Takumi’s had enough, and out of petty jealousy, he volunteered to have them participate in the rice harvest.

Leo looked at him like he’d lost his mind.

The farmers seemed to echo this sentiment, and a man stuttered out, “U-um, I’m not sure -- your highness-”

“No, no, none of that formality,” Takumi quickly corrected, and then cracked a smile, “It’s just that, my husband and I have been curious on how the farmers here work for a while now! We thought the best way to learn would be to try it out ourselves!”

“What?” Leo asked in incomprehension.

The farmers they were talking to looked at each other, not knowing what to do in such a bizarre situation, until one of the older men shrugged and answered, “If you insist!”

Takumi regretted it later, when they were knee deep in muddy water, working together to transplant seedlings into a newly dug paddy.

He could barely pick up the water jug, and it was only with Leo’s help that the were able to heft it to irrigate rows of barley germinated sprouts. Despite his long hours working on his archery, this was exhausting, backbreaking work of a completely different kind.

But Leo wasn’t giving up, even covered in sweat and looking visibly pained he remained composed and determined in his every action. Seeing that, Takumi wouldn’t let himself give up either.

Sore and dirty and exhausted, they took a brief break for lunch, and that was when Leo pulled him aside to scold him for his poor decision making, “Was that really necessary? If we wanted to help the farmers grow crops, we could have just done it with my Brynhildr.”

It took Takumi a second to realize Leo was talking about his divine tome, and another second to think, _why hadn’t he thought of that?_

“Come on, at least we’re learning how they do it here!” Takumi responded defensively, “Nobody here uses magic.”

“We could’ve learned just by _watching_. Yet you insisted on volunteering our efforts.”

He didn’t let the belligerent expression drop from his face, but privately he knew Leo was right - that it was not their role as princes to perform the tasks of the common person. Suddenly, it felt as if all their hard work that day was for nothing. Why was his judgement always so flawed?

“You’re just saying that because you couldn’t lift that water jug from earlier,” Takumi challenged.

“I could _too_ ,” Leo countered, eyes narrowed.

And that afternoon they competed, over little things like who could pull out the most weeds or who could deliver bags of fertilizer the fastest. And it was irritating, because for all Leo’s trimness, the Nohrian Prince still managed to win his fair share of their contests.

It was absurd. How was this guy so good at everything?

But Takumi was the one to get the last laugh when the next day, he woke to see Leo’s skin, flushed red from his cheeks all the way down to his back. They had barely spent more than a couple hours in the fields, yet Leo had clearly been fried to a crisp from the Hoshidan sun.

 

* * *

 

The next day, they’re stopped by a farmer who gestured them over with an enthusiastic wave.

“Not so bad eh? Guess you don’t do much of that in Nohr huh?” he chuffed, sounding impressed by all the work the two princes had put in the other day.

“It was an eye opening experience,” Leo responded diplomatically, his arms crossed stiffly behind his back.

The farmer’s smile wavered.

And Takumi didn’t know what came over him, but between his disappointment in himself, his lingering exhaustion, and the nerve of Leo to appear unfazed by it all, an anger curdled the inside him until he was all but spitting out his next words.

“ _Please,_ ” he retorted uncharitably, “You were complaining about having a sore back and sunburn all night!”

He then turned to the farmer and lowered his voice to an conspiratorial whisper, “I was hoping that if this was how I introduced him to Hoshido, he would be more inclined to return to Nohr.”

The farmer’s expression flipped instantly, and he more or less exploded with a grin and a hearty laugh. Before Takumi knew it, he’d called his friends over to retell the story, until the whole town knew of the Nohrian prince’s petty complaints on how he was unsuited for farmwork.

Takumi flushed in shame as the farmers flocked over to Leo with congratulations and cheer.

“Not as easy as it looks, huh!” one said, laughing.

“You’re welcome to come again when it’s harvesting time!” another called out.

It soon expanded to people outside the farming community, and then even Leo was flushing from the attention of all sorts of townspeople coming to greet him.

A woman from the shopping district winked and handed him a homemade bun, “For all your hard work, Prince Leo.”

“I have a salve for sunburn!” another lady shouted.

Great. And now Takumi’s indiscretion meant that the whole town was pestering Leo with their weird offerings as well. He was _supposed_ to be getting along with Leo, and not allowing his poor opinion of the other prince hurt their countries’ relationship. How was airing Leo’s dirty laundry a productive move in achieving that goal?

He could barely face Leo that night. The blond’s neat appearance disheveled, headband hopelessly skewed and hair a mess from where a particularly bold villager had run his hand through the Nohrian’s short locks. Leo’s pile of strange homemade foods and odd good luck trinkets almost as large as Takumi’s own.

Leo didn’t speak to him, his expression flushed in a way Takumi was unused to seeing, and Takumi didn’t know how to apologize for burdening Leo with the failure of a partner that he was.

 

* * *

 

The townspeople became more handsy as time passed and the day they were scheduled to leave drew closer. During one of their last days was spent wandering the merchant stalls, a young lady decided to invite them to dinner at her house. She promised them the best food the town had to offer, homemade by her mother. The girl was chipper and incredibly friendly, and they responded amiably to her invitation.

Takumi would have left it at that, but Leo had struck up some conversation about local fruits, and she tagged along with them to make small talk. He let them be to stop by one stand carrying an array of imported bracelets, thinking that maybe he could get a gift for Sakura.

He ended up looking amongst three elegant looking pearl pieces with a frown, because he had never really had an eye for these things. Lucky for him then, he had a retainer who did. But when he looked up, he found that Oboro had a frown of her own marring her face as she shifted from foot to foot almost nervously.

“Oboro, is everything alright?” he asked.

At his words Oboro made to replace her expression with something more pleasant, only to think better of it.

When she spoke, her tone was strangely stern. “Pardon me milord, it’s the girl,” she said, nodding her head toward the lady speaking with Leo. “The fabric she was wearing .. her tabi is thicker than is usual around here, and her haori looks like it could be reversible, with stitching that is usually used to create hidden pockets.”

“Overall, it’s clothing that looks to be a variation of what Mokushujin wear.. But..” Oboro paused then, and shook her head, “Maybe it’s nothing.”

Takumi’s frown deepened. Trust the tailor to notice such things. “Thank you, Oboro.”

A Mokushujin, here? Unlikely, as Mokushu had been in a pact of neutrality with Hoshido for ages now.

But then King Xander rose to power, and Takumi vividly remembered organizing border patrols after the rebellion on Cheve. Now that he thought about it, he had noticed some movement from Mokushu but had written it off as unimportant.

It was too coincidental, he decided, and while she very well could be an immigrant there was no hurt in asking around.

He turned to the vendor of the bracelets, and asked straightforwardly, “Hey, is that girl from around here?”

The vendor raised an eyebrow, and then snickered, “You mean Tsubame? Your Nohrian partner's right there, your Highness.”

But the chide was playful, perhaps even a bit too happy that Takumi was taking an interest in the local ladies, “But I ain’t seen her around much, she moved here maybe … a couple months ago? Lives alone at the edge of town.”

Alone? But she had promised dinner with the rest of her family. Or at very least, implied that someone else was cooking.

Takumi turned back to Oboro, “Notify the other retainers, I’ll try to get Leo away from her.”

Oboro nodded and slipped away, and Takumi turned to his task.

Now, how to alert Leo of the new development without arousing suspicion?

He settled for something unusually forward. If nothing else, Leo knew that any romantic interaction between the two of them was an act, and should pick up on Takumi’s intentions. Walking forward, Takumi clasped his hand in what he hoped could pass off as a gesture of affection. Leo tensed imperceptibly beneath his touch.

“Flirting with the local beauties?” Takumi pouted, “I’m gonna get jealous if you keep that up, you know?”

Leo turned to him and tilted his head, before responding, “Would you prefer a moment with me all to yourself, my love?”

And that was laying it thick, especially given their chilly relationship. So Leo had gotten his message and was already arranging for a moment that they could be alone.

More importantly, the girl remained oblivious. Instead, she winked at them knowingly, “Oh you lovebirds! You two really get along just as well as everyone says!”

“I’ll head off now!” she chirped, “May I recommend the fruit stand over there?”

“Certainly,” Leo said with a bow. “Thank you for your time.”

Takumi released a breath as the girl left, and quickly moved to shove Leo down a side street, where they could speak without eavesdroppers. Leo followed him without question.

They’d just navigated their way to the shadow of a dilapidated house near the outskirts of the town when he turned to Leo, only to see the blond’s eyes widen in alarm.

“Pay attention!” Leo shouted, and Takumi turned just in time to see Leo knock away a throwing knife aimed for Takumi’s throat.

Takumi whirled to find the assailant quickly retreating, before a well placed arrow found itself lodged in the man’s back. _Niles,_ his mind supplied, even as Takumi reached to pull out his own bow.

“Lord Takumi!!” Hinata shouted as he ran over to assist them, Leo’s blond retainer at his heels.

“Trying to get yourself killed?” Leo taunted, even as he pulled out a tome from where it had been strapped to his waist.

“How did you know?” Takumi asked breathlessly, adrenaline pumping from the near miss.

Leo grimaced. “I felt as if I’d seen that girl before.”

“From where?”

Leo shook his head, “Can’t remember.”

Takumi frowned at the non-answer, but there were far more pressing matters to deal with at that very moment. Namely, the sound of lumbering footsteps approaching their location accompanied by the distinct lack of birdsong.

Takumi’s stomach fell in dread as he noticed the approach of over three dozen enemies.

 

* * *

 

A dozen ninja, leading about twice their number in Faceless. And that was not counting any enemies Takumi couldn’t see.

And on their side was Takumi, Leo, and their four retainers.

“Ah, how unfortunate,” a shinobi drawled, stepping forward to assess them, as if they were the predators and the royalty their prey, “Well, she was only told to lure one of you here, but if she managed to get two for the price of one, I certainly have no complaints.”

Beige, gold, and red. While clothing was never a good indicator of a shinobi’s allegiance, Takumi had certainly never seen those colors on Hoshidan ninja, so he had to assume that Mokushu must be involved in some shape or form.

Takumi took a step back and took a deep breath, trying very hard not to focus on the mutilated forms of the green skinned beasts, or the fear steadily growing in his chest. How were they going to get out of this?

But Leo had other plans, completely unflappable in his confidence.

“Unfortunate indeed,” he said with a smirk, as he threw a hand up in the air, “That you bring such abominations to a fight against a _Nohrian mage_.”

And magic sprung forth from his hand in strands of purple light and smoky flame, and Takumi watched in bewilderment as the Faceless around them seized and then turned to attack their own allies.

He’d never known that was even _possible_ , that there was a way to control the emotionless monsters. There had been rumors that the beasts responded to magic, but their court’s diviners had certainly never been able to find the right spell for the task. To think that Leo was skilled enough to be capable of such a thing.

But when he turned to Leo, he found that the prince was grimacing, small beads of sweat starting to form on his brow.

Leo nodded to him in acknowledgement, “Quite the impressive display isn’t it?” he asked, before turning sombre, “However, it is difficult magic, and even I cannot control them very well for very long. We will need to leave as soon as possible and call for backup.”

A reasonable plan, but there was never a strategy without its disadvantages. Takumi turned to look at the village. There was a busy street not two blocks from their current location. To retreat now would be to allow the monsters to roam free, and who knew what kind of damage they could inflict?

Takumi narrowed his eyes. “What of the villagers?”

Leo closed his eyes in resignation, as if he had predicted Takumi’s response. “We can warn them of the threat, but our priority must be to get ourselves to safety first.”

“Not a chance,” Takumi gritted out.

Leo took a deep breath.

Then, he spoke slowly, enunciating every word as if speaking to a very stubborn child, “Prince Takumi. Having dealt with these monsters all my life in Nohr, I could tell you these types of Faceless are particularly resilient. They will not go down easily. What I say may sound -”

Takumi decidedly ignored him and sculpted the air around him into bowstring and arrow. He took a half second to aim the spear of wind and light, before releasing it at the nearest Faceless.

It pierced through the center hole in the monster‘s mask, instantly killing the beast.

Vaguely he noticed that Leo had fallen silent.

He formed another arrow and took aim at the next monster. This one a trickier target - faced away from him with the vulnerable holes in its mask turned to the side.

 _I’ve had harder shots,_ he thought as he twisted the wind in his fingers until the gusts were almost visible to the naked eye, swirling like a storm in the arrow’s shaft. He shifted his aim to the side, being careful to account for the distance and the angle.

He released the arrow, and let the concentrated winds unravel in the air. His shot curving sharply until, it too, found its home in the creature’s head.

He nodded at Oboro and Hinata. They grinned at him and leapt forward, spear and sword drawn.

He then turned to Leo and smirked, “Well, if you insist, I guess I can’t possibly stop _you_ from retreating.”

“You insufferable brat,” Leo snapped with a scowl, even as he turned to his retainers to gesture them forward.

With a sadistic laugh and a cry of “The darkness inside me SURGES,” they too joined the fray.

Between Takumi’s arrows and the combined power of their multiple retainers, it became quick, if tedious work. As much as he loathed to admit it, they made an extremely effective team. Leo’s influence seemed to have left the Faceless stunned and confused, and they were only slowed down further when Leo opened his tome and summoned a plethora of thorn studded vines to entangle their foes. Meanwhile Oboro and Hinata swiftly distracted any Faceless that came too close and Leo’s retainers provided cover fire.

It was exhilarating, especially when Takumi found himself landing one particularly tricky shot around the corner of a building. By the time they were finished, not a single Faceless had escaped their fury, and Takumi’s heart was pounding with the thrill of victory.

As Leo commanded his retainers to secure the village Takumi examined the bodies of those that attacked them.

But there were no emblems in their pockets, nor any overt sign that the attack had been linked to any specific nation. A disguised attack, if it was ordered by Mokushu. If not, either an extremist party, or a group with a personal grudge.

They had only _just_ settled their conflict with Nohr. It was strange to think that there were people out there that were still opposed to peace.

 

* * *

 

They returned to the village to find that Niles had captured the girl who had started this whole mess. Tsubame - if Takumi remember her name correctly - was pinned to the ground, streaks down her face indicating she’d been crying until recently.

 _They had threatened my family,_ Takumi heard her shout, _they’re in Mokushu and they’ll be killed!_

Takumi sighed and was about to organize her guard and transport, when he heard the girl’s cries get cut off with a choked gasp.

“If you’re this noisy now, then I’ll really be looking forward to hearing you _scream_ ,” Niles cackled, from where he had grasped her by her throat.

Takumi’s eyes widened in horror, and without his having to say anything, Oboro leapt forward, weapon drawn.

“Stop that, you _Nohrian scum_.” she hissed, pointing her naginata at Niles’s throat.

“Mmm,” Niles hummed, reveling in her anger, “What’s it to you, if I like to mix my business and my pleasure?”

Takumi stepped forward, eyes flashing. “What happens to this woman is not for you to decide. Stand down. _Now_.”

Niles just smirked at Takumi, his hand still wrapped around the woman’s neck. She was clearly starting to lose her breath.

Takumi whirled to Leo. “What are you doing? Order him to stop!”

Leo frowned, “On the contrary Prince Takumi, I believe that in this situation, Niles’ judgement is the wiser choice. Leaving someone like her alive may create complications in the future that we cannot afford.”

_What._

“And because of that, you’d _kill_ her?!” Takumi shouted, utterly outraged.

“Prince Takumi, please calm down and think rationally- ”

Leo was about to _kill a person_ , and he had the gall to accuse Takumi for being _irrational?_

_He couldn’t believe this._

“ _No._ ” Takumi interrupted, “I think _you’re_ the one who needs to _think rationally_.”

“Whatever her background, she is a _citizen of this country_ ,” he said, voice shaking in rage and tinged with a hint of hysteria. “And if you don’t call your retainer off _right now_ , I will report to Ryoma that you _murdered a civilian in an act of senseless violence._ How do you think that’ll reflect on you? On the peace treaty between our nations?”

Leo’s eyes were burning, seething at Takumi’s ultimatum. It was an unfair thing to threaten and certainly bound to cause consequences, but Takumi would not back down, _not on this_.

Leo stayed silent for long enough that Takumi was about to order Oboro to _knock Niles out_ , when finally, without breaking eye contact, Leo waved for Niles to stop.

Takumi heard the gasping intake of breath, and only then did he look away, to rush forward and help the lady to her knees. She started sobbing tears of relief into his chest, and Takumi was numb with relief, just so so _so_ happy that she was alive, and that he would not have her blood on his conscience.

He was tempted to let her go then and there, in an act of mercy just to spite the Nohrians next to him. But Takumi remembered what Oboro had mentioned, about socks meant to silence footfalls and a reversible haori in the event that one needed a disguise an escape. He ordered that she to be taken in for questioning, with Hinata and Oboro as her guards as they transported her to the capital.

He watched as his retainers took her away and tried to still the tremor lingering in his hands.

“You are too soft hearted,” Leo interrupted.

And Takumi’s anger returned, and his neutral expression turned into an outright scowl as he braced himself for the inevitable second confrontation.

“And you would have killed her. ” He gritted out, “Is _that_ how you planned on endearing yourself to our people?”

“And you would leave her alive, so she could endanger more innocents?”

“You can’t punish her for something she _might_ do.”

“She’s _already_ tried to kill you, tried to kill us!” Leo hissed, agitated. “What about that do you not understand?”

“And we’re fine!!” Takumi argued, because _couldn’t Leo see?_ “You would have murdered her in cold blood!”

“I am not above performing necessary, if unpleasant tasks. Letting her live is taking a risk on not just our lives, but the lives of many others should she find a way to escape.”

And Takumi’s had it. Because despite Leo’s excuses, there laid beneath them a single simple fact, “I think it’s about time you admitted you’re just a bloodthirsty savage.”

Leo flinched.

When he responded, his voice was wet, reeking of what seemed to be a sob in his throat.

“And maybe _you’ve_ just never loved anyone enough,” Leo said, voice shaking, “To kill for their sake.”

That was just _ludicrous._

“You Nohrians think it’s normal to kill people? There’s always another way.”

“Sometimes _there is no choice_.” Leo said with an air of finality, “You would _never_ understand.

It must be easy, sitting pretty while others handle your dirty work for you.”

“Don’t presume to know me,” Takumi shot back.

Leo shook his head in disbelief and muttered something about _not having the patience for this_ , before stomping away. Takumi mirrored his movements, his anger a heat that squeezed at his heart and turned his stomach.

To think that he had told the villagers that Leo was _trustworthy_. That he had wanted peace, just as much as anyone else from Hoshido.

He had been wrong.

And the betrayal stung, painful in a way his self doubt could not compare. Because somewhere deep inside him, he had thought the two of them similar.

He had thought Leo _efficient_ , but not to the point of cruelty. He had thought that someone who would give their life away for his little sister’s freedom could never be cruel.

He wondered what else he had been wrong about.

He thought of his anger, when declaring that he would seduce this man out of his jealousy for his talents. Back when he thought their interactions a _game,_ a contest of who could unravel the other first, only for Takumi to find that he’d never known his opponent at all.

If this was who Leo truly was, Takumi wanted _nothing_ to do with him.

 

* * *

 

He was sure he was alone and that his day couldn’t get any worse, when he became notably less alone and his day notably worse.

“Tsk tsk. Silly princeling.” The words came, husky and teasing from the shadow of a nearby tree.

Takumi didn’t have to look to know who the voice belonged to. He’s had enough today, and was far too agitated to spare a thought for Leo’s belligerent reta-

When an arrow lodged itself into the tree in front of him, inches from his face.

Takumi froze with disbelief, and Niles sauntered over, mouth curved into a smug smile.

He took a step, directly into Takumi’s personal space. Takumi stepped back, only to feel himself backed up into the tree.

But Niles didn’t stop, stepping forward until his body pressed up against Takumi’s own, until Takumi could vividly feel the metal of Niles’ belt and cape casp through the layers of his clothes. For one moment, Takumi was filled with the terrifying realization there was a knife at Niles’ side and that Takumi was unarmed sans for the Fujin Yumi strapped to his back - even that was unsuited to close quarters combat.

He looked around, but Niles had picked the location well. The road laid abandoned in the draw of dusk and Takumi’s retainers had been sent to guard Tsubame.

“Ahahaha.” Niles chuckled darkly, “The look of terror on your face. Your eyes, darting around, like a cornered mouse.”

“What are you _doing?_ ” Takumi snapped.

Niles tilted his head, and ignored Takumi’s outburst, “I wonder, if I tried to kill you here, would you beg for your life?”

Against his will, Takumi felt himself shiver.

“The world is an eye for an eye, little prince,” Niles whispered into his ear, running his hands along Takumi’s arms playfully until Takumi’s attention was drawn to his eyepatch, “A naughty boy like you is gonna get punished for the things you do~”

And with a smirk, Niles pulled out the arrow beside Takumi’s head and left, erasing all evidence of their exchange.

Takumi released a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding, and fumed on the entire way back. Because of Niles behavior, or because of his own terror, he didn’t know.

Later he wrote the report and necessary letters to warn his brother on the situation in Mokushu, and fantasized about dismissing the one eyed archer. Monsters, all of them, cloaked in human skin.

 

* * *

 

In a fit of rebellious rage, he tossed the ring he’d been wearing - stuffed it into a box that he later hid in the recesses of his luggage. Then he made a point to avoid speaking to Leo when at all possible. Not a word the rest of their time at the village, and complete silence on the entire ride back. Leo seemed to sense his disapproval, and didn’t try to make conversation.

Shirasagi was quiet when they returned, its familiarity a relief after all that had transpired.

And Takumi knew in the back of his mind that they would need to reestablish their working relationship eventually. But for now, he was content with not working with Leo at all.

 

* * *

 

Ryoma stopped him after he handed in his report, to ask him if he’d like to stay for tea. Takumi reluctantly obliged, if only because he had no excuse to decline.

They sat down and Takumi mulled over all that had happened the last few days as he swished his cup from side to side. Ryoma, across the table, busied himself reviewing Takumi’s report.

“I will send Kagero to investigate the situation in Mokushu.” Ryoma concluded, and Takumi nodded his assent.

There was a silence, as Takumi tried to find the words he wanted to say.

“Sorry,” Takumi said finally, “Having something like this happen, when we haven’t even made our peace with Nohr.”

Ryoma blinked, “You have nothing to apologize for, brother. Our alliance with Mokushu has always been a strained one. For your part, I have only heard good things from the dignitaries we had stationed there.”

Takumi shrugged, “Prince Leo is likeable.”

Ryoma frowned.

“Speaking of which, how is it going between you and Prince Leo?”

Takumi gave a long suffering sigh in lieu of an answer.

It was the inevitable question on the tip of everyone’s tongues, whispered by servants when he passed in the halls, infused in every concerned glance his family sent his way. Everyone had expected that their relationship would improve with time. Surprised when they found out that their relationship had somehow managed to get _even worse_.

“Can we talk about anything else? Stuff must have happened while I was away.”

Ryoma frowned, but indulged him.

“We’ve found Corrin. With him, the Nohrian princess.”

Takumi froze.

“Nothing will change.” Ryoma said, to answer a question Takumi hadn’t asked, “We will allow them their life away from the burdens of royalty, though we have dispatched the necessary people to ensure their safety.”

Takumi released a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. Ryoma looked at him, as if measuring his response.

“That’s good.” Takumi said at last, his voice carefully controlled, “Good for them.”

Ryoma nodded.

Takumi placed his untouched mug of tea back on the table, “If that’s all, I’ll go.”

Ryoma hesitated. “There is one more thing.”

Takumi waited, as Ryoma seemed to gather his thoughts.

“Recently, I’ve been thinking of going to Cheve,” Ryoma said, voice lacking its usual candor.

“Did something happen?” Takumi asked.

“Yes. According to King Xander, they are making arrangements for Cheve’s independence as we speak. Officially, I would go to mediate the secession.”

_Officially?_

“And unofficially?”

Ryoma was silent for the longest time, to the point that Takumi wondered if he would not answer.

Then Ryoma closed his eyes and replied, “For my own peace of mind.”

Silence.

“Part of me feels like I will never be able to forgive Nohr. Not until I see Cheve again with my own eyes,” he continued, “But that is our burden, as royalty. That we must often put the good of our people before ourselves. Even when we do not wish to, we need to learn to let our resentments go.”

“I thought, you might benefit from hearing that,” Ryoma concluded.

Takumi was speechless, not expecting such a confession. Not from the ever perfect Ryoma.

Father had seemed like such a faraway thought to him - a man he knew about only from stories of his battle prowess and wisdom - who Takumi cherished in fleeting thoughts and half forgotten memories. He who died to Nohrian betrayal in Cheve and left Takumi to inherit nothing but distrust and hatred for Nohr and all it stood for.

But Ryoma had grown up knowing him, loving him, and then losing him. Takumi recalled that Ryoma had been there - on the same mission that Sumeragi never returned from.

He’d never thought of Ryoma that way before, as anything other than the strong older brother, the unattainable epitome of perfection. But it seemed that Ryoma had demons of his own.

And Azura too - hadn’t she left for Nohr to find her own peace?

Takumi wasn’t used to seeing beyond himself, but there were people there, lives there, if he’d only taken the time to look. If he’d allow himself out of his barricade of insecurities and take the time to consider others.

“We all have things we need to let go of,” he conceded.

“It is how we grow as men,” Ryoma agreed, “As leaders.”

Takumi thought of his epiphany in the middle of the village far from home. How ridiculous and cowardly his need for vengeance was, changing nothing in their world but breeding more hatred. How he would need to rise above that, to put an end to this cycle that had claimed so many lives.

The fact that he needed to become a better person in the face of adversity, in order to do his duty to queen and country.

“You’re doing great, little brother. I’m proud of you.”

 

* * *

 

He made to return to their quarters, only to be intercepted by one of the strangest people he’d ever met.

“Halt!” the man shouted, “O’ smithy of winds, wielder of the divine bow! I, Odin Dark, the darkest and most mysterious of heroes, has been bestowed with a mission of legend, to deliver a message from he who is peerless in his command of the dark arts!”

Takumi stopped, if only out of incredulity.

It was Leo’s other retainer. _Odin Dark_ apparently. On instinct, Takumi surveyed their surroundings for the Nohrian prince, only to find that Odin was alone. Strange, considering Takumi had never before seen Odin unglued from Leo’s side.

Odin was holding out a slip of neatly folded paper. Tentatively, Takumi took it.

 _"Takumi, I will admit that perhaps I had overreacted during our last confrontation,"_  it read, " _I saw a threat, and attempted to deal with it accordingly, perhaps in a suboptimal manner. But I assure you that I had only good intentions in mind.”_

 _“I cannot emphasize enough how much your life matters. Like it or not, I_ need _you to stay alive, if only for our alliance’s sake."_

It was unsigned, but there was no mistaking who it was from.

It wasn’t an apology, yet something about the message was a salve on his wounded pride.

He’s always been the unimportant one in his family, the forgotten second prince. He had never thought someone would say he was _needed_. And Takumi found himself unsurprisingly weak to such affection.

“If that is all, this humble servant will take his leave!” Odin declared. Takumi jumped, In his musings he had forgotten the retainer was even there.

“Ah. Wait,” Takumi interrupted on instinct.

Odin paused and waited for him to speak. Takumi didn’t know what he wanted to say.

But then he thought about his conversation with Ryoma. About understanding, taking the time to consider others.

“I- um,” Takumi stuttered, “We’ve never met before. I was just wondering if I could learn a little more about you .. Odin.”

“AH!” The blond shouted theatrically, “ So you would like to hear of the conquests of Odin Dark!”

The look of pure delight on Odin’s face gave Takumi the sinking suspicion if he answered yes, Odin would be telling him stories of his past and possibly _never stop._

“Um. Maybe just … how you met Prince Leo?” Takumi bit his lip. “And… maybe keep it brief?”

If Odin was offended by Takumi’s request, he didn’t show it.

“A most stupendous choice Milord!” Odin nodded enthusiastically, “The story of Odin Dark began as a humble mercenary who wandered into the wretched land of night. After a contest of magics of the darkest nature, King Garon anointed me with the task of being the faithful ally to Lord Leo, who I now serve by braving even the clutches of death to perform the dastardly quests he bestows upon me!”

Takumi took several moments to process this information, not sure if he was understanding Odin’s strange way of speaking.

“You’re not from Nohr?” he asked.

“Alas, I hail from a faraway land, the legends of which only grace the most forbidden of texts!”

How curious. Did Oboro know that? Was that why she warmed up to him so quickly?

And there was one other thing that caught Takumi’s attention. “And you were chosen to be Leo’s retainer by King Garon?”

“Yes! But my ties of blood and camaraderie, tempered by the scorching flames of adversity, lie with Lord Leo before anything else!”

Takumi considered this.

He had wondered why Leo seemed so cold towards his retainers, their relationship less friendly and more professional than Takumi was used to seeing. Perhaps it was a Nohrian thing. Or perhaps it was because Leo didn't trust his retainers as much as he let show.

Because despite Odin’s declaration, this meant that Leo had not necessarily taken Odin into his service by his own volition, and instead saw it as an assignment given to him by his father. And Odin, having appealed to King Garon before he knew Leo, must have found himself in a precarious position now that the person who had employed him had passed.

And it was probably uncharitable of Takumi, especially toward a man who appeared as carefree as Odin, but Takumi knew that people didn’t change their loyalties overnight.

He had thought Leo was being difficult before, by sending Niles as his messenger. Was he keeping Odin close because he had his own doubts about the man?

Takumi wanted to ask, but didn’t know how to put the question delicately, “And Leo would trust you to remain as his retainer, even now that King Garon’s dead?”

Odin seemed to be thrown off by his tactlessness, and it was strange to see the boisterous mage suddenly fall silent. Takumi quickly made to backtrack, when Odin answered, surprisingly sober.

“With how I handled King Garon’s death … I don’t think Lord Leo would doubt my loyalty to him.”

And Takumi wondered about that.

 

* * *

 

And yet, Takumi still didn’t intend to speak to Leo anytime soon. But that choice was soon taken out of his hands as he awoke that night, Leo shaking him awake to pitch blackness.

Takumi jerked upright, trembling in fear and drenched in cold sweat, still feeling the aftershocks from a dream that he could not remember. His throat was sore and dry, and his hair was a messy tangle pooling over his shoulders and sticking to his skin down his back.

He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to calm his gasping breaths, even as he vaguely noticed Leo leaving their shared bed to light a lantern.

He then returned, a handkerchief and cup of water in hand, and Takumi dropped all semblance of his pride he hurriedly reached to take the proffered handkerchief. Quickly, he wiped away the excess sweat on his brow while trying to hide the fact that he was also dabbing at his eyes, where tears had begun to form. When he gathered himself together enough to look up, Leo was looking at him with an unreadable expression.

Unable to take the humiliation of Leo seeing him at his weakest, he snapped, “What do you want?!”

Leo averted his gaze, as if ashamed.

Takumi moved to leave, to get out of here. Anything to save what remained of his dignity, only to be stopped at the last moment by Leo’s voice.

“You hate Corrin.”

Takumi froze.

“I don’t!” Takumi denied indignantly.

At his side, Leo seemed to curl in on himself, “That’s what you were saying in your sleep.”

A silence fell, pregnant with unsaid implications.

Takumi’s heart was still beating out of his chest, his veins cold and hands vaguely shaking, as he wondered how he was going to get around this.

He had always been afraid that something like this was going to happen, ever since Leo mentioned that he’d noticed signs of Takumi’s night terrors. But even then, to think that he blurted out such a thing!

“Regardless, it’s not possible for me to hate him - I never got to know him at all,” Takumi argued.

And that was technically not a lie.

Even though it was upsetting - the idea that he would never get to know the person his older siblings loved so much. And maybe deep down that’s what he wanted to do too - to meet Corrin, to call him his older brother, to look up to him and fight beside him and not allow anything to come between them.

“But perhaps you hate him for the fact that you never will?”

Takumi looked up in disbelief, because Leo had essentially just read his mind.

Leo looked away, expression hard to read in the dim candlelight, “It’s hard to find someone who is willing to say it out loud. People are treating him as someone who can do no wrong. Even Jakob, Felicia, Flora ... those who knew him best, have stayed silent on the matter.”

Takumi’s brows furrowed at the unfamiliar names, before Leo seemed to realize his confusion and supplied, “They were Corrin’s butler and maids. They took care of him in the Northern Fortress … before … ”

And then Leo shook his head, and continued, voice soft, “It’s … horrible, how they’re acting like everything’s _fine,_ like they were just his servants and nothing more.”

Takumi narrowed his eyes, because that’s not … was Leo implying what Takumi thought he was implying?

“You grew up with Corrin, and you disliked him?”

“On the contrary, I adored him,” Leo said, turning to him. His eyes were unmistakably sad, “I still do. He was kind and gentle and brave in a world that was cruel to him. But then he left us all the same, as if we’d never mattered.”

“And Camilla too,” Leo continued, voice strangely strained, “ I’m not sure you would understand … with your relationship with Hinoka.”

“Well,” Takumi shrugged, “She’s always preferred Corrin.”

Leo blinked, “Exactly, and Camilla never seemed to notice me, no matter how hard I worked.”

“And it was awful! After they’d run away, everyone was only worried about _him!_ ” Takumi said

“And it felt like I was selfish or childish, to compare myself to Corrin in that way,” Leo finished, “For wanting them to maybe just … spare a thought for me.”

“By the gods.”

“I thought I was the only one.” Leo breathed, just as unsettled.

There was a minute where they just sat together, trying to catch their breaths and comprehend the gravity of the information they’d just shared.

“And I still love him,” Leo concluded. “But that doesn’t mean I can’t feel hurt and betrayed by what he did.”

And Takumi was silent at that. A sort of strange relief uncoiling the tightness in his chest. As if, by Leo’s admission, Takumi was given the leave to feel his resentment without guilt.

“I’m glad we talked about this.”

“Me too.”

And it was strange. The feeling of easy understanding that filled him, from a conversation with Leo, of all people. And despite all he knew about the Nohrian, he felt as if something was changing irrevocably between them.

“I-It’s just … I wish it were that easy to just forgive, you know?” Takumi admitted.

Leo nodded.

“Yeah. I know,” he answered. “But healing … can only begin with trust.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Obligatory shout out to my sister for Tsubame’s name, and a huuuuge thank you to my betas, [caecily](http://archiveofourown.org/users/caecily/pseuds/caecily) and [arkieff](http://archiveofourown.org/users/arkieff/pseuds/arkieff). This chapter was particularly hard for me to write, and without their help I couldn't have struggled through it T___T;;.
> 
> Also you may have noticed this fic has gone up to 9 chapters. This is because I have decided to add a chapter (Ch 8) that would be in Leo's POV!


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